Chelsea have a strategy in place for the January window, and that involves moving for a highly-rated attacker wanted by two big Premier League clubs.
Well, three if you include Chelsea. They have pulled ahead in the race for a talented young player who recently starred at the U17 World Cup in Qatar.
Chelsea have been focusing their recruitment efforts on youth in recent weeks. They see that as more of a priority than high-profile signings when the window opens. Perhaps BlueCo feel their summer spend was sufficient.
Instead, the Blues are recruiting promising talent like Deinner Ordonez from Independiente del Valle and now, lead the race for 16-year-old Burkina Faso star Mohamed Zongo.
Estevao Willian’s scorching start at Chelsea is proof of a certain formula, but that’s where the problem with Zongo lies.
Germany v Burkina Faso: FIFA Under-17 World Cup
Photo by Jurij Kodrun – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Mohamed Zongo will have Estevao Willian ahead of him at Chelsea
It’s true, Zongo is only 16 and not likely to feature for the first team for another year at least.
Chelsea are joined by Manchester City and Manchester United in pursuing Zongo, but the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones places Chelsea firmly in the lead, also ahead of Villarreal and Anderlecht.
Looking at the deal in isolation, it would be a brilliant pickup. Jones writes: “A left-footed attacking midfielder, Zongo is athletic, strong and a good all-rounder. Often, he was seen to break up play and quickly turn defence into attack with his reading of the game and intuitive passing. He can also play as a right winger cutting in onto his favoured left foot.”
But where can he fit in Chelsea’s plans?
First the number 10 position is where Cole Palmer plays, and he’s not going anywhere. Sure, Zongo would be an able deputy there, but Chelsea plan to convert Estevao to a 10. Just two years his elder, the Brazilian is obviously taking another path away.
Zongo and Estevao have quite similar profiles, and fitting Cole Palmer and Estevao in will be enough of a challenge for Enzo Maresca. And that’s just the two top guys.
THAT Palmer finish against Bournemouth🥶
Was this Chelsea's best goal last season?
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Competition at Chelsea will only get more intense
Another 18-year-old has just been signed from Sporting Lisbon. Chelsea plan to integrate Geovany Quenda on the right wing shortly after his summer arrival, seeing him as almost the finished article already. So that’s another position where getting in will be difficult.
Geovany Quenda playing for Sporting Lisbon
Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images
Perhaps Chelsea are simply investing in an asset. Develop him to sell him for pure profit in a few years. Zongo has an impressive resume, though, starring for his nation’s U17 side this past summer at just 15 years old.
He was a standout performer with goals against Germany and Czech Republic as Burkina Faso made it to the quarter-finals. A huge achievement.
Who knows? Zongo may well be vying for a spot in Maresca’s side in a couple of years.
Unless Chelsea start cashing in on players, he’d have a lot of competition out wide, and even more through the middle. Palmer, Pedro Neto, Joao Pedro, Estevao, Quenda, Kendry Paez.
Who will have the better career at Chelsea?
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Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho on the left, too. It will take some doing to enter, and more importantly, stay in the picture.
But this many top clubs wouldn’t be pursuing him if he wasn’t really good. Maybe he’s another Estevao. Maybe Chelsea will get pipped to his signature. We’ll find out in January.
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