Chelsea seal £51m transfer, sign Lavia replacement and player Real Madrid love who are yet to play

Chelsea, perhaps more than any other side in world football, have a focus on the future. The fans clearly think that the vision has become so skewed towards prioritising teams of tomorrow that the one for today is left underprepared.

Enzo Maresca, who the club want not only to be in charge of the now but also the next great set of players to come, is finding out the hard way. His squad appears shallow in key areas.

A top-level goalkeeper is missing, so are leaders in defence. The midfield relies too much on Moises Caicedo’s hamstrings remaining tough, and there is only one senior striker. Goalscoring wingers are missing, especially when Noni Madueke is out through injury.

Chelsea have committed more than £1.5billion to buying players. So far the reward has been minimal but the argument is that a big percentage of the buys will not be judged just yet.

Here, football.london takes a look at those who have been signed by Chelsea but are yet to feature for the club.

Andrey Santos

Two years on from being signed by Chelsea in the major 2023 outlay, Santos has only had deeply impressive pre-seasons to show for his talents. The past 12 months at RC Strasbourg have put him back on course to become one of the top midfielders of his age group, though.

After six months at Nottingham Forest went by without much of a look in, Santos has excelled in Ligue 1 and has been among the best players in France. Across Europe, he is possibly the most successful loanee there is.

Santos will be back at Chelsea over the summer and preparing to fight for a place in Maresca’s squad. His energy and dynamism will add legs to an area which has relied too heavily on Caicedo. He can challenge and maybe even replace the injury-plagued Romeo Lavia, as well as offering a completely unique profile.

Of all those who Chelsea are yet to see the fruits of, Santos is the most ready. Bought for just £10million, the 20-year-old is already worth comfortably more than that and has been on the radar of Barcelona.

Estevao Willian

If Santos is among Brazil’s great midfield talents then Estevao is on another level. He has matched records set by Neymar with his Serie A performances at Palmeiras and is among the most dangerous attackers in South America already.

At 17, Estevao cannot join Chelsea officially until his birthday next month. He will be looked at over the coming months to determine what the next steps are but the hype is very much real.

In 31 league games he scored 13 times and assisted nine in 2024. It bettered all but one of Neymar’s seasons in the Brazilian domestic league and Estevao is younger than he was in doing it. Able to play off the right, Chelsea beat world football to buying him for what could reach £51million in total. An enormous outlay but an investment they think will pay off easily.

Real Madrid were keen to get him to the Spanish capital last summer. They wanted to see him alongside Endrick in a planned repeat of buying Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo. Chelsea got there first and will now be aiming to get the best out of the player.

Mike Penders

From an established name to someone a bit further behind in their senior career. Penders, 19, is a goalkeeper Chelsea have big expectations of.

Before he had played 10 professional games they pledged £16million to buy him from Genk and will assess his ability later this year. Penders was not even the first-choice at the time but has started to find his feet in men’s football.

Goalkeepers do not peak at this age which makes Penders an intriguing prospect and a real long-term bet. At more than two metres tall, the Belgian giant will draw a lot of similarities to Thibaut Courtois. He has a lot to do to live up to that.

Kendry Paez

Unlike the others, Kendry is actually in England right now. He is at Cobham and acclimatising in training. Since being confirmed in June 2023 he has journeyed across to England several times during his seasons with Independiente del Valle.

Kendry is maybe the most raw outfield player on this list but there is a lot of talent there. As a right-sided attacker who likes to drift infield, Kendry has been called up to the Ecuador senior setup where he plays with Caicedo.

He has played 70 matches for Independiente despite not turning 18 until May and he is having a positive impact as well. Chelsea, again, will take look at him to decide the best route forward. They think they have a real gem on their hands with him.

Aaron Anselmino

After being signed in the summer for around £14million, Anselmino was recalled from his loan back at Boca Juniors in January. Chelsea have since named him on the bench in some games but are yet to offer a debut.

He has played for the academy sides and impressive with two-footed passing from the back but is still very early on in his development. Anselmino may well get the chance to feature in the Conference League before long.

Chelsea see him as a smart deal to do and a promising young player. He has competition from 18-year-old Cobham graduate Josh Acheampong for a regular spot.

He may well be loaned out for next season. Marseille were said to be among the interested teams in taking him in January.

Dastan Satpaev

When it comes to unknowns, a 16-year-old from Khazakstan is probably about as big as they come. Satpaev, who was announced earlier this month as having agreed to join Chelsea from Kairat Almaty, has one senior appearance to his name.

He played four times in the UEFA Youth League this season, scoring once and assisting in another. Kairat were hammered by Real Betis’ academy teams in both second-round matches with Satpaev playing the majority of minutes against much stronger opposition.

The striker is pretty much a totally rogue pick out from Chelsea and for a tiny fee. He is an Under-17 international for his country and has scored four times in 10 games.