Why Chelsea's €70m flops should scare young stars from signing for BlueCo
Chelsea have started brightly under Xabi Alonso this season but two of the club’s summer arrivals are seeing their Premier League dream turn into a nightmare so far.
The Blues have won two of their three league matches so far this season, while they also made it through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup this week after a turnaround 6-3 win over Leeds.
Alonso made four changes at half-time against Leeds as Chelsea found themselves 1-0 down, which meant that Geovany Quenda was left on the bench in a match where many felt he would have started.
Chelsea thought they had pulled off a coup in agreeing to sign Quenda from Sporting in March last year, with the 19-year-old arriving this summer, however the winger has played just eight minutes of football so far.
Quenda’s lack of game time is understood to be purely tactical and it is a similar situation for striker Emmanuel Emegha, who has not even made a match day squad under Alonso except as an unused substitute in the previous round against Luton.
Chelsea spent a total of €75m on the duo but it appears neither are close to justifying their outlay and becoming a regular part of Alonso’s thoughts, leaving them to be another pawn in BlueCo’s transfer game as their careers stall in West London.
BlueCo strategy proving damaging to young stars as new duo struggle for minutes
Quenda’s absence is perhaps the most curious, given how highly-rated the teenager was when Chelsea won the race for his signature last year for a fee of €50m.
The Portuguese under-21 international is capable of playing on both flanks and even as a wing-back in Alonso’s preferred formation, however he has not been trusted to show his worth even against lower league opposition outside of an eight-minute cameo in the first game of the season.
Emegha, meanwhile, also joined in the summer after agreeing to move to Chelsea last year, prompting the fury from fans of previous club Strasbourg where he was captain, and he only played 10 matches in Ligue 1 last season during an injury-hit campaign.
However, while Quenda appears to have some faith from Alonso and could still prove a successful signing, Chelsea immediately looked to move Emegha on upon his arrival and opened their stance to offers on their €25m man.
Emegha is back in training after an hamstring injury but Chelsea’s decision to sign Danny Welbeck in the summer – combined with the 35-year-old’s bright start – will mean that the Dutch youngster faces an uphill battle to get any game time this season.
Chelsea’s BlueCo owners have developed a habit of hoarding youngsters on long contracts for the sole reason of turning a profit, which they have largely been successful at, even if it means the player not having a pathway to first team football at Stamford Bridge.
With the likes of Aaron Anselmino and Jamie Gittens also on the fringes of Alonso’s squad, the fates of Quenda and Emegha should serve as a warning to young players over moving to Chelsea if they prioritise development over financial stability.
