Chelsea have signed an "alien of a talent" who could usurp Estevao & Palmer
Not everyone has been a hit, but Chelsea have built up quite a reputation for signing incredible young talents in recent years.
The likes of Moises Caicedo, Jorrel Hato, Jamie Gittens and Roméo Lavia were all 21 or younger when they secured their moves to Stamford Bridge.
However, the best young signing the club have made has to be Cole Palmer, although with how he’s playing, Estevao could take that title from him.
With that said, Chelsea have just secured the services of a hugely exciting prospect who could end up being a bigger star than both of them.
Palmer and Estevao's debut campaigns
When it comes to recent debut campaigns at Chelsea, it would be hard to deny that Palmer’s was the best in quite some time.
The former Manchester City gem arrived at the club without too much fanfare, but within a few games showed the fans and the rest of the league that he was not an ordinary signing.
He provided his first assist in the Third Round of the League Cup and then scored his first goal a couple of weeks later against Burnley in the league.
By the end of the season, the versatile international had scored 25 goals and provided 15 assists in 45 appearances, totalling just 3613 minutes.
That works out to an extraordinary average of a goal involvement every 1.12 games, or one every 90.32 minutes, which would be incredible for a seasoned veteran, let alone a 21-year-old.
Appearances
45
16
Starts
40
7
Minutes
3613′
657′
Goals
25
4
Assists
15
1
Now, while it is unlikely that Estevao will beat that this year, he is certainly giving it a good go.
For example, in 16 mostly substitute appearances, totalling 657 minutes, the 18-year-old has scored four goals and provided one assist.
That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.2 games, or more crucially, every 131.4 minutes.
In all, it’s clear that, so long as they remain fit, Palmer and Estevao will continue to impress for Chelsea, but the club might have just signed another brilliant youngster who could be held in the same regard as them in the future.
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The latest prospect who could eventually be a game-changer for the Blues is Deinner Ordonez, who signed a pre-contract agreement with the club on Friday.
It had to be a pre-contract, as the Ecuadorian wonderkid is still just 16 years old and, due to rules on foreign-born youngsters, won’t be able to join Enzo Maresca’s squad until January 2028.
Moreover, he’s yet to even make a senior appearance for his club, Independiente del Valle.
However, that didn’t stop the West Londoners fighting off three other top European clubs for his signature, and based on what those in the know say about him, it’s easy to understand why.
For example, while he’s yet to play in the first team, the incredible prospect has been making waves in the youth system for some time now and was promoted to the u17s when he was just 14 years old.
Described as “an absolute alien of a talent” and someone who will “be one of the best CBs in the world” by Como scout Felix Johnstone, the Esmeraldas-born gem has also made a massive impression at the international level.
He is already playing for Ecuador’s u20 side and became the youngest player to represent the side at the South American U-20 Championship earlier this year.
It certainly feels like his senior debut is going to come sooner rather than later, especially as respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described him as a “huge potential CB with physicality and athleticism way beyond his age.”
He’s not just a youngster who has got ahead with impressive physicality, though, as Mattinson also points out his “outstanding range of passing” and the fact that he is “completely both-footed.”
Ultimately, it’s still so early in his career, but just like with Estevao, it’s already clear that Ordonez is a truly special prospect, and one that could be as effective for Chelsea as the Brazilian and Palmer.
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