Dave Worthington recalls joining Chelsea and his Gomez mix-up

Frank Arnesen, Chelsea’s director of football at the time, contacted Worthington with a job offer, and Worthington subsequently moved to the club from Bolton Wanderers. In an interview with Football Presse, the former scout recalls how the move brought him into contact with Roman Abramovich — and led to an unexpected mix-up over the name Gomez.

“Frank called me and asked what was happening because he had heard I might be leaving Bolton. I told him I was, and that my contract was being paid up,” Worthington recalled. Arnesen then invited him to work for Chelsea and to visit the training ground at Cobham. Worthington says the scale of the operation and the first-team players, including Shevchenko, made a strong impression. He says he had been Bolton’s chief scout, with 12 people working under him, while his new role as a European scout paid twice as much.

Worthington also says Abramovich took an interest in the scouts’ work and wanted to know which players were being recommended to Chelsea. When the need for a full-back came up, Worthington wanted to establish what sort of player was wanted. He had reservations about Dani Alves’s attacking approach: “To me, Dani Alves was a right winger who sometimes dropped back, but he was presented as a right-back.” Worthington wanted to know whether Abramovich was looking for a more defensive full-back or a player in the Alves mould. According to Worthington, Abramovich wanted a proper full-back.

A separate meeting brought a more awkward moment. Before an international match, Worthington was invited into Abramovich’s private suite and asked to intervene so that Sepp Blatter and his party would leave. Worthington says he chose a diplomatic approach and spoke to Blatter.

During a conversation with Abramovich, the owner mentioned a Gomez whom Frank considered an outstanding player and for whom Chelsea would spend a lot of money. Worthington says he had not recommended any player by that name to Frank. He replied: “He’ll never play for a team like Chelsea.” The misunderstanding was cleared up within minutes: Worthington had the wrong Gomez in mind. He admitted the moment was embarrassing.

Worthington also recalls that Abramovich, whom he described as reserved, asked about his scouting methods. He also remembers a photograph with Sepp Blatter, who asked for his autograph and posed with him. Dave Worthington is the author of “Worthy: The Scouting Adventures and Football Life of Dave Worthington”.