Chelsea FC have today confirmed the signing of Nathan Allan de Souza, or simply ‘Nathan’. After being heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge for months, the Brazilian youngster took to Instagram a few days ago to give us a bit of a spoiler:
The rumours circulating around him seemed to come out of nowhere, and I personally brushed aside the gossip almost immediately. To me, it seemed like yet another story of Chelsea signing some random ‘wonder kid’ that we’d never see come anywhere near the first team. The speculation refused to go away however, and would you look at it – he’s actually signed!
So, now that Nathan is a Chelsea player, who is this guy?
Born near the southern end of Brazil, he joined the Atlético Paranaense youth system as a thirteen-year-old. For the first team, he’s made twenty appearances and scored just one goal. Nathan has played for the Brazilian national team as well. As a U17 he impressively scored five goals in five appearances, and as a U20 he made 14 appearances and notched three goals. Nathan hasn’t exactly done anything too special or notable, which has caused many to question why he’s been linked with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City for the past month.
Nathan plays mainly as an attacking midfielder, but can also be of use on the left wing or even up top. He was best summed up by Brazilian football expert Tim Vickery, who was himself surprised by the interest attracted from Chelsea and Manchester City: “It’s difficult to see why [Chelsea] quite want to spend so much money on him. He’s a playmaker who can thread a little pass and did well at the under-17 level but poorly at the under-20 level. It’s difficult to see what he has done in the last season to justify it.”
Chelsea have reportedly spent £4.5 million on the nineteen-year-old. Is he worth it? For me, this is a typical business-minded Chelsea signing. Chelsea are well stocked in the attacking midfield position, and it’s clear to see that the player is nowhere near Premier League quality – in a Blue shirt at least. I predict that Nathan will go out on loan a few times, improve, and depart for a profit. He’ll develop to the point where he can attract maybe a £10 million bid from a club abroad and he’ll be on his way with both he and Chelsea benefiting from the move. By the off chance that the Brazilian blossoms into something world class, Chelsea can keep him and be satisfied in acquiring him on the cheap. This transfer is a win-win in my eyes! Do you agree? Let me know in the comments!
