Here we are, 18 months after he was to make his Chelsea debut, and Dutch midfielder Xavier Mbuyamba has finally been released.
The 19-year-old would join Chelsea in the summer of 2019, just so that the transfer ban would come to an end. Mbuyamba joined Barcelona instead, but jumped at the chance to finally move to Stamford Bridge last summer just a year later.
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He then suffered a nasty knee injury during his second training session and was forced to follow from the sidelines to Monday’s U23 meeting with Southampton.
Mbuyamba came off the bench halfway through the second half and needed just five minutes to announce the fans. He kicked home from a corner with his very first touch to put Chelsea 3-1 and celebrated as a player who has been waiting for this chance all his life.
“The comeback is bigger than the setback,” he wrote on Twitter. “This is a mental game, that’s why I’m already won. Debuted I’ve been dreaming of for months. With my first goal. What a feeling!”
Apparently Chelsea did not sign him for his goal ability. This is a young defender who came through the Maastricht academy with a reputation as “the next Virgil van Dijk”, so Chelsea expect great things from Mbuyamba at the back.
The wandering skyscraper did not disappoint and put in a dominant 24-minute comeback that saw him overwhelm the Southampton youths both in the air and on the ground.
Mbuyamba has been compared to Van Dijk | Marc Atkins / Getty Images
It is expected that a player standing at 6’5 dominates at the back, but what was most impressive with Mbuyamba was his technical ability. He was extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet, sprayed long-distance passes easily and even showed an impressive recovery rate for someone his size.
Chelsea officials will have watched Mbuyamba’s return closely. His agent Carlos Barros admitted to Voetbal International that the Blues see him as capable of challenging for a first team in a few years, and that is probably a fair time frame.
It’s obviously too early for Mbuyamba to think of an older look; he has played 24 minutes of academy football for the blues, who want a lot more before they encounter him at senior level, but this was a mighty impressive first step.
Midfielder is a position where Chelsea want to rejuvenate. There is talk of a blockbuster for a young star like Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, while academy pearl Marc Guehi has been earmarked for a place in the first team just after an outstanding loan spell with Swansea City, and Mbuyamba may be next in line.
There are many obstacles to navigate before we are ready to talk about a place in the senior squad for Mbuyamba, but first impressions count, and the Dutchman has given the best possible audition.
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