One day after it was revealed that Geovany Quenda would be joining Chelsea for £41million, the 17-year-old demonstrated just why the deal is seen as so much of a coup. Having beaten Manchester United to the signing, it is a piece of business Chelsea will be extremely happy with.
Quenda will not arrive in England until the summer of 2026. It is a key part as to why Chelsea beat not only United but also Bayern Munich and other European powerhouses to the winger's signature.
Sporting CP were keen to either get an inflated price for the versatile forward or keep him for another year. Chelsea's compromise has seen a reduced payment (compared to his previous release clause) but also another 12 months of development in Portugal.
To celebrate the move for Quenda, who is able to operate on both sides of attack as well as at wing-back, he was called up to his country's national side for the upcoming international break. All of the reasons why he is so highly-rated were on display on Saturday.
Playing his 44th game of the season, Quenda completed 90 minutes (the 12th time in the league he has done that) in a 3-1 win for Sporting. The performance was everything Chelsea would have hoped for just hours after the transfer agreement became public.
Quenda showed all facets of his game which have caught the attention of clubs across the continent. His fast feet helped him out of several tight spaces across the field, just like his range of passing helped to open up chances.
Whether it was in his defensive third or high up the field, Quenda was able to find teammates to start attacks or continue them. At one stage he attempted an ambitious cross-field ball into the box only for it to curl too far away from the intended target.
It was evidence of his vision and confidence, though, as he looked up and spotted a run which was hardly on. Playing another clipped ball down the line he found a green and white shirt to move play in the right direction.
As a 17-year-old in his first full season of men's football, Quenda did not get bullied and showed great use of his body. When keeping the ball he was quick to position himself between the opponent in order to draw fouls and also showed maturity when winning it back.
Quenda started one attack in the final third by pushing himself in ahead of a Famalicao body, using his shoulders and hips to block a pathway to the ball. In one occasion at the other end he sent a senior professional flying off the pitch when shepherding out to win a goal-kick.
Nominally a left-sided player, Quenda was a threat mainly with his left foot but also wasn't scared to cut inside onto his right. In one instance he opened himself up to slot a pass through the middle of the defence on his weaker foot.
For a young player he did not keep the ball too long, either. Although there was one backheel on the edge of the Famalicao box, Quenda's flicks largely came off and advanced his team. Quenda's timing to release his teammates was not always perfect but was always in good faith to try and get closer to goal.
As the game went on, he grew in stature. Switching sides, Quenda popped up on the right, where he put in one excellent cross, doubling back onto his left foot to swing one towards the six-yard box. In the second half he used the same move but jagged towards the edge of the box to have a shot which swerved and needed tipping onto the post.
It was a vicious strike with plenty of energy. Marking Quenda was tough as he then found himself arrowing in from the left at an angle, striking another shot low and hard to the far corner. This was went narrowly wide.
When he needed to, Quenda found space to come centrally, carrying the ball at his feet. This opened up new options and although one dribble nearly got him into trouble, his tricky play mostly proved productive.
If anything, it is Quenda's workrate that stands out. He is used as a wing-back for Sporting, which is where Ruben Amorim and United saw him potentially playing at Old Trafford. Chelsea see him as a winger instead.
Having a number of strings to his bow makes Quenda extremely valuable. Here, he was alert to shut down and help out in his own half. Sniffing out the danger, he was happy to run up and down both flanks, doing the hard yards.
This is something Chelsea demand from their attackers and have not always had. Mykhailo Mudryk's defensive contributions have been questioned before, as have Noni Madueke's. Jadon Sancho is not much of a presence off-the-ball, whilst Cole Palmer is good at leading a press he does not offer much solidity in tracking.
Quenda's extra time in Sporting and in the senior game will equip him to keep on developing these promising tendencies, ironing out other quirks. That is a benefit of the structure of Chelsea's deal.
With the output not yet anything to shout about - he has only scored one league goal this season, assisting five - Quenda's trajectory is still heading in the right direction. He is playing a more withdrawn role than Chelsea will want to use him in, which should be taken into account, as should his age and stage of his career.
These are just part of the reason why Chelsea will be so happy to get this deal over the line now. If Quenda continues to perform at this level for the next 12 months, the excitement will only increase.
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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