Chelsea’s policy of only purchasing players they then loan out has resulted in them missing an opportunity with highly regarded Brazilian talent, Joao Victor de Souza (often referred to as “the new Marcelo”) as they loan prospects like him out for development purposes in Strasbourg. Although Chelsea have tracked him since he joined Santos from France 18 years ago, it now seems highly unlikely they’ll secure his signature as soon as expected.
Chelsea have since failed to secure Mathys Tel, yet continue looking to add players such as Ruben Amorim’s favorite, De Souza, during this summer transfer window. Unfortunately for Chelsea however, their plans for young talents such as De Souza involving initial loans to European clubs for adaptation purposes hasn’t gone over well with either De Souza himself nor his agent which allowed Arsenal – their London rival – to step in and capitalize on this situation.
Arsenal Poised to Welcome Santos Left-Back
The prospect of an immediate move to Strasbourg does not appeal to De Souza or those around him. Arsenal’s apparent readiness to integrate him into their squad presents a more attractive proposition, potentially altering the career trajectory of Myles Lewis-Skelly by providing him with a more advanced role or creating competition within the team. Given De Souza’s capabilities both offensively and defensively, he represents the type of versatile player that modern football values highly.
Chelsea aren’t alone in showing an interest in young Brazilian starlet Willian, continuing the club’s tradition of recruiting Brazilian talent scouts; yet Barcelona may miss out.
De Souza has an ambitious dream: to play in Europe like his famous Brazilian predecessors Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Neymar have done. Should De Souza reach his potential Arsenal could find themselves with an exceptional young talent on their hands.