Chelsea are likely to miss out on Flamengo’s young left-back Joao Victor de Souza as the player does not like the process at the London club.
According to Caught Offside, Joao Victor de Souza may not join Chelsea despite their apparent interest in the teenage left-back. The Flamengo talent wants to play first-team football at the big club he joins next, as Chelsea’s plans to loan him to Strasbourg did not appeal to the player nor his entourage.
Chelsea has been a shrewd operator in the market for young, emerging talents since the new owners took over the club. The transfer policy adopted under the new ownership views signing up-and-coming talents as the right way to progress for the future, although this formula has not seen much success.
It’s particularly hard to argue which of the many players who have arrived in the last two and a half years, particularly from outside of Europe, have progressed into first-team players for Chelsea. The Blues did sign plenty of players from South America, as none of those young talents have shone, barring the expensive midfield duo of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.
Upcoming players will certainly consider that and Chelsea’s policy of loaning players to sister club Strasbourg. They certainly had similar plans for Mathis Amougou, who arrived on deadline day from St Ettiene. One player on their radar does not approve of a loan stint to the French side, as Chelsea are on the verge of losing out on Brazilian talent Joao Victor de Souza.
The 18-year-old defensive prodigy, who plays left-back in the Flamengo youth squads, has been scouted extensively by Chelsea. He was also of interest to Barcelona, as one of the big clubs, including Arsenal, is likely to move for the Flamengo star in the summer. Neither Arsenal nor Barcelona will give De Souza a chance to feature in the first team, as those clubs might also consider an initial loan.
Should Joao Victor de Souza explore the Chelsea project?
Chelsea has been running a rather successful business model even though most of their young signings have not worked for the club’s first team. Loaning upcoming stars to Strasbourg does give them a platform to develop those players, and in De Souza’s case, he’s keen on playing for whichever team he joins.
The report rightly points at the situation with Luis Guilherme, who has struggled to make an impact since being used in the West Ham first team. De Souza is unlikely to get his wish in Europe, at least with any of the top teams. He should explore what Chelsea has in store for him and even consider a loan to Strasbourg as part of his development.