It is no wonder that with the departure of legendary centre-back Thiago Silva, Chelsea’s defence has fallen weak. Enzo Maresca has the mammoth task of rebuilding the squad at Stamford Bridge. The line of defence is particularly weak, which is giving nightmares to Chelsea goalkeepers. The Blues have started taking measures to bolster the backline, starting with the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo for a free transfer. Chelsea has now found new interest in Brazilian teenager Pedro Lima. It is good to see wise transfers being made under Maresca. The new manager is keeping good track of a return on investment. Although the interest in 17-year-old Pedro Lima by Chelsea is more from owner Ted Boehly than the Italian manager, The Chelsea Board prioritises young talent above everything. New prodigies are going to fill in the starting line-up soon at Stamford Bridge.
Pedro Lima should fit as the new wing back at Stamford Bridge
It seems like almost a shock when someone born in 2006 seems to start for a prestigious club in England. Although it looks unrealistic, Boehly really thinks highly of the Brazilian wonderkid. But there would be serious development involved in recruiting such talent. A first-team and regular start will be mandated in the youngster’s development. According to certain reports, a sum of 6.3 million pounds plus 2.5 million pounds for the teenager has been solidified. Chelsea won a close race against Strasbourg in acquiring the talent. Consequently, this deal has been easy considering the Ligue 1 club’s majority shareholder is none other than Ted Boehly’s’s consortium, BlueCo. Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel and midfielder Andrey Santos were sent by Chelsea to Strasbourg on loan to help in their development. Maresca, however, wants Andrey Santos back in the squad, as his abilities could turn out to be fruitful.
With Reece James’ incoherency and prolonged injuries, it is natural that Chelsea would be looking for new replacements. The gamble on teenagers is a testament that only time can reveal. He will be loaned out to several clubs, most likely to Strasbourg in Ligue 1. It might be long before he makes his Premier League debut.
Cunha and his expectation from the Brazilian
Matheus Cunha the Brazilian forward playing for Wolves wanted Pedro Lima to join Gary O’Neil’s side Molineux. He was stern about rejecting a club like Chelsea at sucha tender age. Cunha said;
“Pedro Lima is a talent, he has a bright future. He is from Paraiba who comes to Recife and has a very similar story to me. I wish him the best. I wanted him to be playing with me because I think Wolves were also interested. But he made his decision, Chelsea is a great club and I hope he plays and I hope to play against him often…. , he needs to continue like this so that he gets there and achieves things because one thing is here, another is there, another level. And he needs to have humility to recognise the moments of doubt, difficulties, which when you leave here are great… may he have a lot of patience to reach the highest level of football. And may everything go well for him, as he is someone we will be rooting for a lot.”
Cunha also praised the teenager saying;
“We can talk a little on the field, try to exchange shirts, but of course, wishing him all the best, he is a boy who deserves it, who fought for it and thank God it started. May it be a bright future for him. I think he leaves here at a time where he has a big spotlight, he is a boy who has a very big projection, that everyone expects a lot from him, but things don’t always happen the way we think they should happen.”
These have been reported by Cunha to Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte.
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