Toby Wilding

Thu 20 March 2025 12:12, UK

Geovany Quenda may have only just seen his move to Chelsea confirmed, but the latest news around the winger is unlikely to go down well with fans of the club.

Despite the fact he is still only 17-years-old, Quenda is already playing regular first-team football with Portuguese champions Sporting CP.

That progress at such a level bodes well for what he can do once he arrives at Stamford Bridge, given the scope for improvement he still has.

The fact Chelsea beat Man United and Quenda’s former manager Ruben Amorim to this signing, will only add to the satisfaction around the deal.

But part of the way in which it appears the Blues were able to secure the teenager’s services is likely to be far more unpopular with supporters.

Geovany Quenda got Enzo Maresca intervention

As Chelsea aimed to be the ones to win the Quenda race, one individual who was involved in that pursuit was manager Enzo Maresca.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, the Blues boss spoke personally to the winger before he agreed to complete his move to Stamford Bridge.

It is claimed that the Italian told Quenda that he is looking forward to working with him, while advising the teenager to continue to learn and improve.

Maresca’s involvement in that transfer deal though, is likely to generate more than an element of concern among a number of Chelsea supporters.

Chelsea seemingly set to stick with Enzo Maresca

Although the signing of Quenda has now been confirmed, it will be some time before he is actually seen in a Chelsea shirt.

The winger is due to remain with Sporting CP for next season, before linking up with the squad at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2026.

As a result, the fact Maresca appears to have been personally involved in these attempts to sign the teenager, clearly suggest there is a strong expectation he too will still be there at that point.

That though may not go down well with Chelsea fans. After a bright start to his first season in charge, form has dipped for Maresca’s side of late, and they face a fight to qualify for the Champions League while playing uninspiring football.

In the wake of that, the Italian has come in for some heavy criticism from the Stamford Bridge faithful for a number of reasons.

Chelsea fans were not happy when Maresca suggested the club are not currently in a position to compete for more than one trophy in a season.

Meanwhile, there have also been calls for Maresca to be sacked over the drop-off in form of Cole Palmer, whose touch in front of goal has deserted him in recent weeks.

So with so much frustration being aimed at the manager in recent times, this update that suggests the Italian will be in charge at Stamford Bridge for some time yet, may well not be all that welcome.

Indeed, given what has happened with Palmer recently, some Chelsea fans may even have concerns about what this could mean for Quenda once he arrives at the club so the positive news on the transfer comes with a sting in the tail.