Chelsea complete signing of Brazilian wonderkid compared to Pele: report

Ryan Dabbs
·2 min read
4
Chelsea Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino poses for the photographer with a club scarf after holding a Press Conference at Stamford Bridge on July 07, 2023 in London, England.
Chelsea Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino poses for the photographer with a club scarf after holding a Press Conference at Stamford Bridge on July 07, 2023 in London, England.
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Chelsea have secured the signing of Brazilian wonderkid Angelo Gabriel, a left-footed winger who is still only 18.

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has reported that Chelsea signed Angelo Gabriel from Santos in a deal worth €15m, with the young Brazilian set to complete the second part of his medical tests before traveling with Mauricio Pochettino's squad for their pre-season tour of the USA.

Romano also suggests Chelsea will decide whether to loan him to another club - such as Strasbourg in Ligue 1 - or keep him at Stamford Bridge for the 2023/24 campaign after the tour.

A winger with sharp dribbling skills, Angelo Gabriel made his first team debut for Santos in October 2020, aged just 15 years and 308 days, coming on for the last 30 minutes away at Fluminense in the Maracana.

That appearance ensured he became the youngest player in the history of the national championship, beating the record set by Pele over 60 years ago, which has naturally earned comparisons. He then followed that up by becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Copa Libertadores.

Since then, the Brazilian has gone onto make 129 appearances for Santos in all competitions across four seasons, scoring five goals and assisting a further ten times in total.

Chelsea target Brazil's Santos Angelo Gabriel vie for the ball during the Copa Libertadores football tournament group stage match at Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos, Brazil, on May 11, 2021
Chelsea target Brazil's Santos Angelo Gabriel vie for the ball during the Copa Libertadores football tournament group stage match at Vila Belmiro stadium in Santos, Brazil, on May 11, 2021

His signing continues Chelsea's recent trend of bringing in teenage stars with bags of potential, such as Andrey Santos, Kendry Paez and Carney Chukwuemeka.

Chelsea did beat Barcelona to the signing of Angelo Gabriel, too, with the La Liga giants having first refusal on him due to a first-option clause they agreed with Santos, following their dispute and subsequent settlement over the transfer of Gabigol to Inter Milan in 2016.

Barcelona chose not to pursue a deal for Angelo Gabriel, though, giving the Blues a clear shot at agreeing terms with Santos.

Chelsea signing Brazil's Santos Angelo Gabriel celebrates after scoring a goal during the Copa Libertadores football tournament qualifying round match against Argentina's San Lorenzo at the Pedro Bidegain Stadium, also known as Nuevo Gasometro, in Buenos Aires, on April 6, 2021
Chelsea signing Brazil's Santos Angelo Gabriel celebrates after scoring a goal during the Copa Libertadores football tournament qualifying round match against Argentina's San Lorenzo at the Pedro Bidegain Stadium, also known as Nuevo Gasometro, in Buenos Aires, on April 6, 2021

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