Chelsea’s forgotten summer signing heading for oblivion

Robin Bairner

• 28 Feb 2024 07:22 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea spent close to €500 million on players in the summer, with the club’s Vision 2030 policy in full effect.

The Blues have sought to sign the best young talent in the world before refining it and developing elite players.

It has proven a struggle. With the exception of Cole Palmer, signed for €47m from Manchester City, not a single arrival has proven an undoubted hit, and while it may take many more months or even years for this talent to flourish, there is an unease around the club that Mauricio Pochettino’s side sit 11th in the Premier League table.

Angelo might have been one of Chelsea’s lower-key signings as they grabbed the 19-year-old from Santos, but he is no exception when it comes to living up to his price tag.

The teenager is not even on the books of the Blues, having been shunted to sister club Strasbourg on loan, proving that it is not simply some curse upon Stamford Bridge that is affecting their players.

Angelo in trouble

Angelo looked bright in the early weeks of his loan, but though he has four assists in 25 appearances, things are not coming easy for the young winger in France.

This trend continued as he was hauled off at half-time during a Coupe de France match against Lyon on Tuesday.

“Like his team-mates, the Brazilian midfielder spent most of his time defending but on the rare occasions he had the ball, he did nothing. Technically poor, duels too easily lost. This type of match was not made for him,” L’Equipe reports of his performance.

It is all too typical of what the youngster is producing at present, with little to suggest that he will make the grade at Chelsea when his loan is over in the summer.

FootballCritic has rated Angelo as having just two performances this season worthy of a score higher than 7. He did impress against PSG, grabbing an assist against the Ligue 1 leaders, while he has shown flashes of quality otherwise, but these moments have been all too fleeting.

Certainly, if he can’t make the grade at Strasbourg, he won’t at Stamford Bridge, where the level of competition, both within the squad and with regards his opponents, will be significantly tougher.

These are worrying times for Angelo and Chelsea as another sizeable investment is showing a questionable level of output.