Chelsea made arguably the best signing of any club in European football last summer when they coaxed top Manchester City prospect Cole Palmer to arrive at Stamford Bridge for a cool 42.5 million pounds.
Although that is a significant financial investment to make on a player who wasn’t a clear-cut starter at the time, Palmer has proven to be a true transfer bargain less than a year later and is much more than just a clear-cut starter for Chelsea in 2024.
Palmer is Chelsea’s best player since Eden Hazard, and there’s a case to be made that he’s the best player in the Premier League based on what he did last season, scoring 22 goals with 11 assists as an attacking midfielder.
Chelsea have already signed a player in summer 2024 whom they hope can be just as special to their attack in Palmeiras’ 17-year-old Estevao Willian.
And now, they have signed a player who also has a high level of talent and future upside but could be more of a Cole Palmer type signing.
Per Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have the “Here We Go” for a Marc Guiu transfer from Barcelona, as the Blues have activated the young striker’s incredibly inexpensive six million euro release clause.
Guiu has chosen to leave Barcelona for Chelsea, and Fab reports that both parties are expected to take “formal steps” in the preceding days with a long-term contract expected.
After scoring seconds in his debut off the bench to win the match for Barcelona against Athletic Club, the 18-year-old academy product sent a message to the rest of the world that he is a top young player to watch in his own right.
But now, Guiu is pursuing the opportunity to seize the No. 9 role at Chelsea, possibly sensing more opportunity at Stamford Bridge with both the iconic Robert Lewandowski and winter signing Vitor Roque ahead of him as a more long-term option.
At Chelsea, Guiu may have another signing to worry about, such as Maximilian Beier, but, for now, only the middling Nicolas Jackson stands in his way.
Expecting Guiu to have an immediate impact akin to Palmer would be unfair, but, well, did anyone expect Palmer to score 22 goals and 11 assists in the 2023/24 Premier League season for Chelsea after watching him at Manchester City?
Meanwhile, Guiu had a splashy start that Xavi and Barcelona foolishly failed to capitalize on, which could come to Chelsea’s gain as quickly as 2024/25.
For even cheaper than Palmer, Chelsea are signing a highly promising striker who would cost ten-fold that amount of money on the open market in his prime if his development tracks.
As with the Messinho signing, Chelsea are showing a much better approach in 2024 and are making the kinds of signings that can truly set themselves up for major success without breaking the bank for 100 million euros per transfer.
