Giovanni Cuenda has almost arrived at Chelsea 16 months After the agreement to sign him with Sporting Lisbon became official. Under the terms of that agreement, Quinda spent the entirety of last season with Sporting, before moving to England. The move is now official with the 19-year-old Announce By Chelsea earlier today, ahead of the start of pre-season preparations this week.
(Part of this agreement was also the signing of Dario Esugu, who joined Chelsea immediately last summer. The total fee combined was Approximately 75 million euroswith just over 50 million euros earmarked for the transfer of Quinda.)
Quinda has been with Sporting since he was 12, and has been a key part of their first team for the past two seasons – including during their title-winning campaign two seasons ago. Sporting finished second last season, with Kwenda scoring six goals in 32 matches in all competitions, playing mostly as a right winger. He is quite capable on both wings, and can also be used as a wing-back. That kind of versatility will only help him establish a role in what feels like an extremely bloated team (again) right now. He missed some time in the second half of the season due to a broken metatarsal, but has now made a full recovery.
The Portugal Under-21 international has signed an 8-year contract with the Blues, until 2034. So he’s still just a kid, even though he has nearly 100 professional appearances under his belt already.
“It’s a great feeling to be here. Chelsea is a great team and I’m excited to play here at Stamford Bridge. The club has shown its belief in players like me and I’m proud to be here, proud to be part of this club.
“I’m excited to work with my teammates and manager Xabi Alonso. I’m a very hard-working guy and I love helping my team. I want to be someone who is known for having the right mentality to help my teammates and who gives his all for the club to win trophies.”
-Giovanni Quinda; source: Chelsea FC
Hello, Giovanni! Let’s get back to winning some stuff!
