Kevin De Bruyne to Chelsea was done for €8 million in the winter transfer window of 2012 from KRC Genk, only to loan him there until the end of 2011/12 season. He was then loaned out again, this time for Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for the whole 2012/13 season. The Liverpool fan midfielder was then sold to another German club, Wolfsburg, where he gained the recognition he deserved.
For years it is believed that it was Jose Mourinho who was not impressed with De Bruyne’s work ethic, leading the Belgian to spend most of his Chelsea stint as a loanee for some clubs. But, the latest interview involving him and former England center half, Rio Ferdinand, depicted the opposite narration.
Kevin De Bruyne on Chelsea and almost playing under Jurgen Klopp
De Bruyne also revealed that he would have played under Jurgen Klopp when the Liverpool manager was in charge of Borussia Dortmund. But such a scenario never happened after Mourinho wanted him to stay with Chelsea.
“I signed for Chelsea knowing that I would be loaned out the first year,” he told Ferdinand during an interview for TNT Sports. “And if I do really well, we’ll see what happens. I did the pre-season, went to Werder Bremen, had a really good year. And then in the summer, was a little bit of a toss-up.
“I could have went to Dortmund with Klopp at the time or stayed, and Jose wanted me to stay. It just didn’t work out, I was maybe just a little bit impatient at the time also, but I just wanted to play football.”
Despite missing the move to Dortmund and playing under Klopp’s supervision, De Bruyne never regretted his decision. He said that he was enough of waiting and being tossed around back-and-forth for loans after loans.
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A young Kevin De Bruyne at Chelsea was confident enough
“I had the confidence,” De Bruyne added. “I know there’s a lot of good players there and that it was a top team. I understand how it also works for the young guys at every club when you get loaned out, come back, loaned out, come back, and I didn’t want that situation anymore, so I just pushed a little bit to get sold and that will happen.”
De Bruyne’s decision to leave for Wolfsburg was just the beginning of his glorious career. An impressive display he has shown during the 2014/15 season, drew attention from City and the rest is history. The father of three has won every title possible with The Citizens, making him one of the best midfielders in his generation.