Todd Boehly has not been afraid to splash the cash, for better or for worse, to bolster the playing squad during his time in charge of Chelsea so far.
The Blues owner has loaded Mauricio Pochettino’s squad with exciting young talent and has brought in a number of talented prospects who could emerge as first-team stars for the club in the future.
Whilst big-money signings like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Cole Palmer may all stand out to supporters and pundits, the smaller signings – comparatively – of impressive gems should not go unnoticed.
Last year, Boehly agreed a £17.27m deal with Independiente del Valle to sign young forward Kendry Paez, who has been catching the eye in South America.
Chelsea are now reportedly interested in signing another teenage star who could arrive at Stamford Bridge as a bigger talent than the Ecuadorian whiz.
According to The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, the Blues are one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi.
The report claims that Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United are also keen on the 17-year-old titan as they keep tabs on his progress in Spain.
It states that all three clubs have already made contact with the player’s representatives to let their interest be known ahead of the summer transfer window, as Boehly looks to bring in another starlet.
The outlet does, however, add that Barcelona are working hard to pin him down to a contract extension and are hopeful that he will turn down interest from the three English teams to commit his future to the Nou Camp.
Fabrizio Romano has added to that claim by revealing that the Spanish giants are set to include a mammoth release clause of €1bn (£855m) in a new contract for the La Masia graduate.
The Italian journalist reports that the Catalan side are ‘counting’ on Cubarsi to put pen to paper on an extension with the club to be a big part of their future moving forward.
This suggests that it could be a big struggle for Chelsea, Arsenal, or Manchester United, to secure a deal to sign the young sensation in the upcoming summer transfer window.
If he commits his future to Barcelona with a new contract, it could be difficult for the Blues to snatch him away from the Spanish giants without paying the £855m release clause.
If Boehly can manufacture a way to get Cubarsi to Stamford Bridge, though, then Chelsea could land a bigger talent than Paez, who has shown great promise in his short career to date.
Kendry Paez’s career so far
The 16-year-old dynamo is not able to play for Chelsea until the summer of 2025, due to being under the age of 18, and that means that he will have to continue to ply his trade away from England until that point.
Paez, who turns 17 this week, has already established himself as a first-team player for Independiente over the last 18 months or so, as a versatile attacker who can play through the middle as a number ten or on the right side of the forward line.
The teenage wizard has racked up eight goals and four assists in 40 senior games for the Ecuadorian top-flight side, including eight outings in the Libertadores.
His form at club level has also seen him recognised by his country with one goal in six caps for Ecuador, after a return of five goals in 13 U17 matches.
2024 LigaPro Serie A |
Kendry Paez |
---|---|
Appearances |
8 |
Starts |
6 |
Goals |
2 |
Assists |
2 |
Big chances created |
2 |
Key passes per game |
2.0 |
Stats via Sofascore |
As you can see in the table above, Paez has enjoyed a strong start to the 2024 campaign with his team, with four direct goal contributions in six starts.
He has showcased his quality at first-team level at such a young age and Chelsea supporters may already be excited about what the superb maestro could do at Stamford Bridge in the future, even though there is another year to wait before he is eligible to play for the club.
However, Paez is yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s major leagues, or anywhere in Europe, and has not competed in the Champions League, Europa League, or Europa Conference League, so it remains to be seen how he would stack up against his peers in those competitions.
Why Pau Cubarsi is a bigger talent than Kendry Paez
Cubarsi could arrive at Chelsea as a bigger talent than the Ecuador international, should the Blues secure a deal for his services this summer, due to his emergence in Barcelona’s team this season.
At the age of just 17, the Spanish centre-back has emerged as a regular starter for the Spanish giants domestically and in Europe since the turn of the year.
He started three of their four Champions League knock-out matches, as they lost to Paris Saint-Germain, and caught the eye with a 100% duel success rate (6/6) in a 3-1 win over Napoli in March.
23/24 LaLiga |
Pau Cubarsi |
---|---|
Appearances |
14 |
Starts |
13 |
Pass accuracy |
91% |
Duel success rate |
52% |
Ground duel success rate |
58% |
Stats via Sofascore |
As you can see in the table above, Cubarsi has started the vast majority of his appearances in LaLiga and has been reliable in possession, whilst also holding his own in physical duels, despite his age.
The Chelsea target, who has been hailed as “top-notch” under pressure in possession by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has also excelled on the ball when playing out from the back.
In fact, he ranks within the top 16% of LaLiga centre-backs this season for progressive passes per 90 (4.51), and the top 8% of his positional peers for pass completion rate (91.2%).
These statistics show that Cubarsi has already proven himself to be a top performer in a major European league, as well as having shown glimpses of his dominant defensive work in a smattering of Champions League outings, at the age of just 17.
Therefore, he is an even bigger talent than Paez at this stage in their respective careers, as the Barcelona star has made a name for himself on one of the biggest stages – in LaLiga and the Champions League – whilst the Ecuadorian is yet to play outside of his home country.
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