Anderlecht’s decision to sell Tudor Mendel-Idowu to Ipswich Town at the end of the transfer window was done because of a deep sense of disappointment at the Belgian club.
That’s according to Voetbalkrant, who cover the Ipswich Town signing today and how it simply never worked out for him.
The 19-year-old joined Ipswich at the end of the transfer window in a surprise, late deal after just a year with the Belgian side.
He joined Anderlecht on a free transfer from Chelsea’s Under 18s in July 2023 and was placed in the RSCA Futures squad as a talent for the future.
He made 16 appearances totalling 574 minutes in total, but Voetbalkrant report that it was a disappointing short relationship for everyone.
They say that Mendel-Idowu was ‘once considered a great talent’ by the club and even snatched from under Barcelona’s noses but ‘failed to succeed’ in Belgium.
That was due to several reasons despite him making a promising debut for RSCA Futures. He started well but his performances dropped, and he failed to make the breakthrough, despite his history at Chelsea.
He slowly disappeared from the scene after a strong start and ended up on the bench, struggling to adapt to his new environment.
At Chelsea he had been considered a top talent but was asked to take more responsibility in Brussels, something which proved to be difficult. There was also a problem with expectations.
Mendel thought he had a contract for the first team but was instead stuck wit the Futures team, for which he did not seem to be ready, according to Het Nieuwsblad.
In addition to sporting struggles, there was also ‘mental pressure’ affecting the player. He often felt lonely in Belgium and had difficulty maintaining his motivation. He also struggled to mix football with studying, with that combination proving to be too much.
Mendel-Idowu is considered something of an ‘academic whiz’ having attended Eton College and planned to continue his studies at Oxford University.
All of these issues combined to make the end of last season extra difficult for him, with him disappearing completely from the squad after the death of his father.
Thus, Anderlecht decided to cut ties and let him join Ipswich at the end of the summer window, where he will hope he can get back on the promising track he was once on.
