Chelsea sign young striker Dastan Satpaev for €4 million | OneFootball

Chelsea have officially signed highly rated Kazakh striker Dastan Satpaev from Kairat Almaty, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 16-year-old will join the Blues when he turns 18. He signed a five-year contract with the option for another year at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea will pay €4 million plus add-ons for Satpaev, and this sum is a milestone for Kazakh football, making Satpaev the most expensive export in the country’s league history.

Chelsea have continued recruiting top young talent from emerging football markets since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium took over the club in May 2022.

Satpaev has been making waves in the Kazakhstan youth league, impressing scouts with his technical ability and composure in front of goal. He has netted 27 goals in 28 appearances for the Kairat Under-18s.

His youth-level performances attracted interest from several European clubs, but Chelsea moved swiftly to secure his signature.

Although he cannot formally join the club until he turns 18, Satpaev is expected to continue developing at Kairat Almaty while remaining in close contact with Chelsea.

Chelsea’s youth drive will be their demise

Chelsea keep stockpiling talents while forgetting they must create pathways for these players to thrive. Several youngsters signed over the past three seasons (see Deivid Washington) cannot get a shot, and there are only so many loan spots available.

With the first team currently lacking a reliable goalscorer, a dependable goalkeeper, and leaders in defence, the Chelsea sporting directors inexplicably continue to splurge on these wonderkids light years away from helping Enzo Maresca’s side.

This obsession with signing young talents has also caused Chelsea to negate their equally exciting Cobham pipeline. Lewis Hall has been sensational for Newcastle United this season, but the Blues sold him for pure profit and now have only one recognised left-back in the team.

The Satpaev signing is another example of Chelsea’s obsession with additions for the sake of it rather than building a balanced squad for the present. Whether this strategy will pay off for the Blues remains to be seen.