“Most similar to” – Former Sporting academy coach names player Chelsea’s new £40m man is most like | OneFootball

Former Sporting Lisbon academy coach Fabio Roque has named who new Chelsea signing Geovany Quenda reminds him of.

Chelsea agreed a shock deal last week with Sporting to sign the 17-year-old in a deal believed to worth around £40m.

The winger will remain with the Portuguese club until the end of next season, before linking up with his new team-mates in 2026.

Quenda compared to European star

It was expected Quenda would reunite with former boss Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, and he was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford.

However, Chelsea snuck in and got the deal done, and Fabrizio Romano revealed what the key factor was in Quenda picking the Blues over United.

Quenda is said to be one of the most exciting talents in his age group, and with Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian the Blues have three of the most exciting under-18 prospects in world football.

Quenda will join Chelsea in 2026. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

The teenager is already established in the Sporting first team and has made 44 appearances, including ten in the Champions League this season.

Quenda could arrive at Chelsea with over 100 first team appearances despite his tender years, and there’s a lot of excitement surrounding him.

Former Sporting academy coach Roque has been speaking about the youngster and named the player he reminds him of most.

“As a winger, he is creative and explosive,” he told Give Me Sport.

“He reminds me a little bit of Rafael Leão because of how he drives forward and works well in tight spaces, and he has the capacity to see and find a pass.

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“But he is arguably more complete than Leão because of his ability to defend. I would say he’s most similar to Bukayo Saka, who also played wingback in the early part of his career. And I can understand comparisons with Lamine Yamal, but Geo just covers a lot more ground.

That’s some praise from someone who knows Quenda very well and Chelsea fans will be keeping a close eye on his development before he arrives at Stamford Bridge.