It’s that strange time of year that occurs every other summer when the international tournament hasn’t started yet and the club season is ended.
The national teams aren’t playing any significant games just yet, and it feels like the transfer window is closed. It’s a time of rumours and counterrumors, and Pedro Lima, another possible South American acquisition for Chelsea, has dominated the previous 24 hours.
We’ve been connected to the right back for a while now. Although he is only 17 years old, he has already demonstrated his abilities in the Brazilian second division and appears ready to transfer to Europe when he becomes 18—much like Andrey Santos, who we signed two years ago.
With a story today, our writer Simon Phillips adds to the commotion around his signing by stating that his sources have “confirmed the interest and the move for Lima,” a move that is being closely watched by reputable Spanish outlets such as Relevo.
According to those Spanish sources, we’re aiming for the “Real Madrid” model here, which involves purchasing the top South American players before the “middle-men” clubs can acquire them and then nurturing them inside.
Real Madrid, or is there another strategy?
That might very well be at Strasbourg in the instance of Lima. He was traded for a right back, and we already have two first team alternatives there in addition to backup central defenders who can fill in.
Lima will probably need a few more years to be ready for the first team, but at Strasbourg, he should have lots of opportunities to play in a division where he can develop and flourish without being under a lot of pressure.
Although there haven’t been any clear signs that this is the intention, as Phillips points out, it does appear to be the general plan. We’ll have to settle for Reece James and Malo Gusto’s impressive talents in the meanwhile.
