Whether Chelsea fans like it or not, the club has clearly decided to go the route of acquiring the best young talent in the world, with the aim of developing them into world-class stars, as opposed to buying a ready-made product.
We have seen this many times this summer, with the signings of Omari Kellyman (18), Aaron Anselmino (19), Renato Veiga (20), Caleb Wiley (19), Marc Guiu (18), Estevao (17), and Samu Omorodion (20 ) entrant, all signatories under 21 years of age.
Even the big-money signings of recent years have followed this model, with Enzo Fernández worth around £103m, and Moises Caicedo worth around £99.5m, according to Transfermarkt, both players who joined under the age of 23.
Chelsea transfer news
According to the reports of journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea is also filling the void of another promising youngster, this time in the form of Gremio, Gabriel Mec.
However, the 16-year-old will not be able to move to Stamford Bridge until he is 18, similar to summer signing Estevao.
Reports claim that Mec has had “a number of clubs” after him, including Premier League counterparts Manchester United and Aston Villa, but Chelsea have urged the 16-year-old to have a bright future in South-West London.
Negotiations have continued, and reports say the terms have been finalized, with an initial three-year deal agreed upon, with a two-year alternative to the deal.
Is Mec the next Vinícius Júnior?
Labeled as “the hope of the stars” by others, they have even been compared to others such as Robinho, Neymar and Vinícius Júnior, when looking at Mec, his Brazilian creativity, close footwork, and striking ball skills, and which brings comparisons to the most prominent Brazilian international players.
Often playing on the left, Mec could find himself fighting for a starting spot on the left immediately, as Chelsea are currently looking for solutions in that area of the pitch, due to the underperformance of Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk.
Like Mec, Vinícius Júnior moved from Brazilian club Flamengo to Real Madrid at a young age, joining the club at the age of 18 (he's two years older than Mec now). Vinicius joined Madrid for a record fee at the time, paying £38.7m, the most for an under-19 player.
Fast forward to now, Vinicius recently scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists in his most recent season, leading Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double. The 24-year-old, who is in contention for the Ballon d'Or, has had a great season.
|
Statistics of Vinícius Júnior (FBref) |
|
|---|---|
|
Mathematics (in 90 minutes) |
Vinícius Júnior |
|
Non-Penalty Goals |
0.62 |
|
It helps |
0.29 |
|
Perfect Shots |
3.45 |
|
Actions to Create a Gun |
3.91 |
|
Progressive Caries |
6.75 |
|
Successful Takeovers |
3.32 |
|
Priority Passes |
1.60 |
|
It moves in the area of the Pen |
4.24 |
Actions to create a shot are the pieces of play that lead to a shot. This includes times like passing, taking or being misdrawn.
As mentioned earlier, some of Mec's outstanding qualities at such a young age, his ability to carry the ball, beat his man with that silky Brazilian skill, and cleanly hit the ball, all skills that Vinicius seems to master.
Vinicius ranks in the top 1% for continuous carries of 90, and successful takes of 90 among other wings/forwards in the top five European leagues. He also ranks in the top 13% for non-penalty goals among other forwards in the league's top five, combining his excellent carrying skills and dribbling to produce goals for his club.
If Mec reaches even close to this level, Chelsea will be rubbing their hands, as they will have one of the best ball carriers, and producing attackers in world football.
Related
Like Omorodion and Osimhen: Chelsea could look to re-sign £65m star
Chelsea may pursue Osimhen and Omorodion as striker options
Source link
