Chelsea completed the signing of Geovany Quenda in March 2025. He will become a Blues player in July 2026, more than a year after the transfer was agreed.
The youngster has played 76 games for Sporting CP over two seasons since becoming a first-team player.
He has also become a key player for Portugal U21’s and has played 12 times since he made his debut in 2024. Quenda has been selected for the senior Portuguese squad, without making an appearance.
Quenda’s rise and finding Chelsea’s radar
Quenda broke into the first team at Sporting at the start of the 2024-25 season, where the naturally right-winger was transitioned into a right-wing-back by Ruben Amorim. In the summer before his first-team debut, he starred for Portugal U-17s as he helped his side reach the Euros final and featured in the Team of the Tournament.
When he scored his first goal for Sporting, he became the youngest player to ever score for the club. A list on which Cristiano Ronaldo now sits third.
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The place where Quenda got the global spotlight was during Sporting’s win over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.
Many remember that game for Viktor Gyokeres scoring a hat-trick and outshining Erling Haaland on the night. For those paying closer attention, they got to see the incredible pace, flair and creativity of a man who at the time was just 17.
With Amorim in charge of Sporting at the time of Quenda’s rise, it felt like Manchester United would have been his ideal location, as Amorim was looking to introduce a formation that required wing-backs, without any in the squad.
Chelsea jumped first at the opportunity, giving the player a long-term contract and a chance to play at the top level, while also giving Sporting their star player for another full season and more.
Quenda finished last season as one of the elite creators amongst teenagers, creating more chances than players like Lamine Yamal, Desire Doue and Kenan Yildiz.
Chelsea’s current squad and how Quenda compares
Chelsea currently play in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Quenda could play on the right wing as a pacy overlapping winger. This would be a slight contrast to the options Chelsea have used this season.
Cole Palmer has been used at times to try to facilitate other midfielders. While he has the left foot and creative qualities, he doesn’t possess the same pace as a player like Quenda.
Pedro Neto and Estevao have offered the pace for Chelsea that Quenda could provide. Both are left-footed and tend to invert from their right wing position into more central areas.
Following a recent injury, Quenda has been recovering and receiving treatment at Cobham before he moves there this summer. This will allow him to meet his future teammates and have conversations with Liam Rosenior over the role he could take in the 2026-27 season.
Quenda has played right across Sporting’s attacking line, featuring on the right, the left and as a number 10. This tactical versatility gives him a distinct advantage compared to the other players he will be competing with when he comes into the squad.
Quenda also offers significant European experience, even for a young player. He made ten Champions League appearances last season, becoming the fourth youngest player to do so. He has also played in five Champions League games this season.
Rosenior’s Strasbourg style of play
Rosenior joined Chelsea from their sister club Strasbourg, and in his year and a half at the club before moving to Stamford Bridge, he managed the Ligue 1 in a 3-5-2 formation with the focus on an extremely creative right wing-back.
In the 2024-25 season, he coached this formation with a range of players who have shown their quality playing for Premier League clubs.
Dilane Bakwa was his creative wing-back, now at Nottingham Forest. Andrey Santos returned to Chelsea, and Habib Diarra has been brilliant at Sunderland.
Bakwa scored six and produced eight assists. He earned a move to Nottingham Forest for somewhere in the region of €35 million.
At the start of this season, Rosenior used Guela Doue as his wing-back. He is the older brother of Desire Doue, who has been a star at PSG over the last few seasons.
Quenda’s versatility as an attacking option gives Rosenior plenty of options to use the youngster and his history as a wing-back could make him a key player if the Chelsea boss returns to his previous tactics.
