Chelsea Look To Sign Two Benfica Teenagers – Why It Could Help The Portuguese National Team

It is normally frowned upon by clubs, rather than fans, to pursue young stars. I mean really young; 15 or 16, when they are just approaching an age of maturity but haven’t quite reached it yet. Being hounded by clubs around the world can damage those who let it go to their head. It is normal for players of this age to move to new teams in their own country, but generally not abroad. However, overseas transfers of young talents are now starting to happen, with Arsenal particularly known for exploiting this.

The Gunners are not the only team that have exploited the changing times and how young prospects are raised, as all the big teams in Europe have indulged at one point or another. It is what clubs do to make sure their academy has the best players.

Chelsea are a team that do not often turn to their youth in their time of need, as they can just sign more experienced players. Plenty of exciting young players have had glimpses of first-team football, but their careers tend to stagnate as they wait for regular action. Therefore, they eventually have to leave in order to progress their careers.

However, the Blues are looking to add to their academy with a couple of very bright prospects. The Express are reporting that Chelsea are just one of many clubs after Benfica starlets Joao Filipe and Joao Virginia. The former has been dubbed as the new ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’, while the latter is an extremely highly rated goalkeeper. Both 15 years old, they are yet to sign professional contracts which means that any club in the world can pick them up for virtually nothing. A little compensation, though, would have to be paid.

This would be an investment for both sides though. Making money from a sale and freeing up wages can make selling a player beneficial. However, as they are not actually part of the Benfica first team, they cannot be sold and they are not on any wages right now. But there is still an investment to be made.

The investment lies in the national team. Portugal are slowly detriorating as a dominant force in major tournaments. They are carried by Cristiano Ronaldo, and if he has a bad game then the side are not likely to do very well. Portugal need new talent coming through and, in the Portuguese league, young players are not receiving the right attention and are not developing as a consequence.

If Portugal want a successful future, they will have to let some of their younger stars go and play in the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga. That is exactly what Ronaldo did.

Chelsea would benefit by securing two brilliant young players, so they would no doubt see this as a good investment. However, the future of a national team is far more important than any club team. Take the USA, for example, whose football leagues have taken off after a reasonably successful World Cup.

Seeing young stars thrive in top leagues can inspire future generations of a country. The more big clubs like Chelsea swoop in for players, the more determined others become to achieve their dreams.