In truth, the number of crazy talented young prospects at Chelsea is rather ridiculous, with almost the entirety of the squad yet to reach the peak of their careers.
Household names such as Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, and Moises Caicedo are all thriving, while the likes of Levi Colwill still have so much potential to reach.
The aforementioned Chelsea defender struggled to really develop last season with injuries hindering his campaign, but there’s no doubt that he can become a future Blues great.
However, Chelsea are currently in the market for an even younger star than Colwill, who may just have the quality to become even better than the Englishman.
Chelsea’s search for another wonderkid
According to a report from The Athletic, Chelsea are closing in on signing Aaron Anselmino of Boca Juniors.
It’s said that despite no ‘final agreement’ being struck just yet, ‘talks are moving positively and personal terms are no considered an issue at this stage.’
The teenager won’t come cheap, however, as with add-ons included, he will arrive for a fee of around £17m.
A plan is already in place for the Argentines’s future, as he will sign a six-year deal and be swiftly sent on loan to Strasbourg.
Why Aaron Anselmino could be a bigger talent than Colwill
At 19 years old, Anselmino’s name has been making waves across Europe, having impressed in the Boca Juniors academy.
The centre-back has now been implemented into the first-team squad, and he’s certainly not looked back despite spending the majority of the time on the bench.
However, when he was handed an opportunity, he certainly made his mark, hence why Chelsea have moved to sign him this summer.
Although there’s very little data on Anselmino, his performance in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana against Trinidense gives us a flavour of what he’d provide.
Goals
1
0.04
Touches
75
62.5
Passes completed
59
38.2
Pass accuracy
94%
83%
Possession lost
6
10
Clearances
4
2.8
Duels won
6
5
Aerial Duels won
3
1.9
As you can see, the Argentinian is an extremely complete centre-half who has all the attributes needed to thrive at the very top of the beautiful game.
Firstly, Anselmino is brilliant with the ball at his feet, displaying confidence and composure on the ball that enables his side to remain dominant throughout a game, regardless of the score line or game state.
His touches and high pass accuracy serve as evidence for that, as well as the fact that he only lost the ball on six occasions and completed 100% of his long balls during the tie.
Having such technical quality at his age is simply incredible, and when compared to Colwill’s Premier League stats, it’s hard to not see that Anselmino could become an even bigger talent than the Chelsea ace if he continues on the same trajectory.
The “exciting” 6 foot 1 ace, as dubbed by football analyst Ben Mattinson, can already hold his own against the opposition, as shown by his six duels won out of a possible seven.
This includes a 100% aerial duel rate, which proves that he’s extremely dominant when it comes to defending crosses and set pieces, while it also makes him a threat in the final third, as shown by his goal in the game.
Anselmino is also extremely solid defensively, having good positioning to make tackles and clearances, and he plays like a player years his senior.
Overall, the Argentine is most certainly a star for the future rather than the present, but it’d be a huge surprise to see him not be a starting star for Chelsea within the next five or so years.
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