Premier League club, Chelsea have completed the signing of 18-year-old Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel from Santos.
The 18-year-old has put pen to paper on a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge, although the exact length of his contract has not been disclosed by the club. The fee to take Angelo to West London is understood to be around €15m (£12.8m).
Chelsea said in a statement;
“Chelsea has completed the signing of Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel from Santos. Born in Brasilia, the 18-year-old arrives at Stamford Bridge with a wealth of senior football under his belt; he made 129 first-team appearances for Santos across all competitions. Welcome to Chelsea, Angelo!”
Angelo is now expected to join his new teammates on their pre-season tour of the United States, although he is likely to be sent out on loan for the 2023-24 campaign, with Strasbourg an option.
The attacker became the youngest player in Brazilian top-flight history when he made his debut at the age of just 15 years and 308 days in 2020.
Angelo has remained a regular fixture in the Santos first team since that debut, making 129 senior appearances for the club despite his age.
Chelsea have committed large amounts of spending to the academy since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital arrived last summer.
Diego Moreira has joined from Benfica on a free transfer this week while Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez has also signed, though will only join when he turns 18 in 2025.
Last summer, big moves were made for Cesare Casadei, Andrey Santos, Omari Hutchinson, and Carney Chukwuemeka.
Whether or not Angelo stays with the first-team remains to be seen as Mauricio Pochettino works with the squad.
The Argentine wants to take a close look at every player before making a decision on whether or not to sanction departures.
Pochettino has a history of developing youngsters and the hope is that Angelo will be the latest success story.
