BlueCo agree deal to sign Julio Enciso, he will join Chelsea next year | OneFootball

Chelsea owners BlueCo have agreed a deal to sign Brighton & Hove Albion ace Julio Enciso this summer (h/t David Ornstein), but he won’t join the Blues now.

Signed for €20 million, Enciso is viewed as a Chelsea player but will join sister club and BlueCo-owned Strasbourg to develop before moving to Stamford Bridge next season.

Chelsea have sent several players to the Ligue 1 club to develop.

The Blues allowed Andrey Santos and Djordje Petrovic to spend last season in France, and it worked out for all parties.

This year, Chelsea have sent Kendry Paez, Mike Penders, and Mamadou Sarr to Strasbourg while selling Ishe Samuels-Smith and Mathis Amougou to them.

Interestingly, Enciso is currently sidelined and won’t be back till around October after undergoing surgery, when he joins forces with the Chelsea contingent in France.

The 21-year-old bagged two goals, played four key passes, and created four big chances in 25 Premier League appearances last term.

The Paraguayan (27 caps) is a talented playmaker, but injuries have held back his development.

He has struggled for consistent game time. He will hope for an improvement in France.

However, Chelsea’s capture of Enciso looks more like another case of stockpiling than thoughtful squad planning. The Blues already have enough playmakers.

Cole Palmer, who has emerged as the team’s creative hub, is there, while teenage prodigies Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian can become superstars.

On top of that, Chelsea are still pushing to sign Xavi Simons, another highly-rated attacking midfielder who would block pathways.

Enciso might have promise, but with injury setbacks and no clear route into the side, this feels like a luxury addition that adds little value.

Instead of building balance, Chelsea continue to hoard talent without any clear vision of how all these playmakers can realistically coexist.