Chelsea have already started their transfer business ahead of a busy summer window which leads straight into the Club World Club, as the west London side secured a Sporting CP duo this month, in the form of Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo.
The Blues are looking to get the majority of their business done early, according to Ben Jacobs, due to the “unusual and busy” summer schedule around the Club World Cup.
Essugo is set to join Chelsea next season, being a part of their first-team squad and becoming competition or cover for Moises Caicedo, whilst Quenda doesn’t join the Blues until 2026, spending next term with Sporting to continue his development.
How Quenda will fit in at Chelsea Chelsea
Enzo Maresca tends to play with two direct wingers, one on either flank, both of whom are tasked to enter 1v1 battles with their opposing fullback, attack and create chances.
One man who has thrived in this area is Noni Madueke, often being given the license to beat his man and attack the box in a direct fashion, with the Englishman registering 12 goals and assists
Quenda falls into this category of winger, a maverick style player who is fleet-footed and direct with his actions. The 17-year-old has made 44 appearances for Sporting this season, scoring two goals, providing eight assists and totalling 3,215 minutes played.
The Portuguese winger can play on both the right and left wing, giving Maresca plenty of options on how to integrate him when he arrives in 2026.
As exciting a signing as Quenda is, Chelsea actually let go one of their best talents years ago, who is now even better than Quenda and worth around £100m…
Chelsea offloaded £100m-rated Quenda upgrade
Michael Olise was at the Chelsea academy from 2009 to 2016, before leaving to join Manchester City’s academy on a free.
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.
The 23-year-old winger has now gone on to impress with Crystal Palace, earning himself a move to Bayern Munich, where he has continued his excellent form, establishing himself as “one of the best talents in the world“, according to former boss Oliver Glasner.
So far this season, Olise has made 40 appearances for the German giants, scoring 13 goals, providing 11 assists and totalling 2,621 minutes played.
|
Michael Olise vs Geovany Quenda comparison |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Olise |
Quenda |
|
Goals |
0.43 |
0.03 |
|
Assists |
0.34 |
0.17 |
|
xG |
0.41 |
0.06 |
|
xAG |
0.35 |
0.16 |
|
Progressive Carries |
4.57 |
3.13 |
|
Progressive Passes |
7.63 |
4.25 |
|
Shots Total |
3.17 |
1.60 |
|
Key Passes |
2.66 |
1.50 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
5.94 |
3.25 |
|
Successful Take-Ons |
2.73 |
1.50 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
||
When comparing Olise’s underlying metrics this season to those of Quenda, you can see the lengths the young Portugal international still has to go to before he can be compared with the likes of Olise, as the Frenchman outperformed him in every metric analysed.
Olise was described as “magic” by analyst Ben Mattinson before his move to Bayern, and the French winger is now seen to be worth around £100m, with the Bundesliga outfit believing their £50m acquisition is worth around double that figure.
Chelsea did realise their mistake in letting Olise leave back in 2016, trying to re-sign him before he decided to join Bayern Munich in the summer, who were willing to pay higher wages than the Blues.
But in hindsight, Olise could have been worth breaking their wage structure for, seeing the heights he is already reaching at 23 years old.
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2025-03-28 20:20:13
