‘He has everything’ – Chelsea told they beat Man Utd to Lamine Yamal-like talent | Football

Geovany Quenda shares a number of ‘similarities’ with Lamine Yamal and has ‘everything he needs’ to be one of the biggest stars in European football.

That’s according to Sporting assistant manager Tiago Teixeira, who has witnessed Quenda’s meteoric rise first-hand across what has been a remarkable 12 months for the Chelsea-bound 17-year-old.

Quenda was fully integrated into Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad last summer, after an impressive pre-season, and the teenager hasn’t looked back, making 44 appearances in all competitions for the Portuguese champions.

The youngster’s eye-catching performances quickly attracted the attentions of the who’s who of world football and Manchester United reportedly held talks with super-agent Jorge Mendes in November over a possible deal.

Speculation that Quenda could follow Amorim to Old Trafford rumbled on across the winter, but the Portugal Under-21 international, who can play on the wing or at right wing-back, remained in Lisbon as the January transfer deadline came and went.

However, Chelsea jumped to the front of the queue and wrapped up an agreement to sign Quenda for a fee in the region of £42million earlier this month, with the versatile attacker set to join in 2026 on a seven-year contract.

According to Mail Sport, Enzo Maresca played an instrumental role in discussions to lure Quenda to west London and it appears the Blues have got their hands on a potential superstar in the making – just ask Teixeira.

‘He is very, very good as a dribbler. He is impressive physically and can beat his direct opponent both inside and outside,’ Sporting assistant Teixeira told The Athletic.

‘I see similarities with Lamine Yamal. Both of them started playing senior football at 16, 17.

‘Yamal is already playing for Spain but Quenda has just been called up by Portugal for the first time and I’m certain he’s going to be a regular in the national team for years to come, and a star of the Champions League.

‘He will get better with age and keep growing in confidence. He has everything he needs.’

Sporting defender Ivan Fresneda is sad to see Quenda leave but believes Chelsea fans should be incredibly excited about the player that will be joining them at the end of next season.

‘I have a very good relationship with Quenda, I’m 20 and he’s 17. Because of our age, we also have that relationship,’ he told FlashScore earlier this week.

‘I was surprised [by his rapid rise], of course.

‘All you have to do is watch the training sessions, stay here for a week and see what that kid does, you’d go mad.

‘Chelsea’s interest doesn’t surprise anyone at the club. Quenda is going to be big in the future.

‘This season, next season and from now on. He’s going to be something to talk about.’

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