The news came at the end of last week that Chelsea had reached an agreement with Serbo-Montenegran club OFK Belgrade to sign highly-rated 16-year-old centre-half Slobodan Rajkovic.
The news was all but confirmed by the club?s general director Vladimir Bulatovic, who said that the fee in question was £3,5 million. This constitutes a world record for a player under 18-years of age. ?OFK and Chelsea have reached an agreement for Rajkovic?, is how the bloke announded it.
According to the deal, ?He will stay with us until the end of the 2006-07 season and then he will join Chelsea.? The delay will allow Rajkovic to develop first-team experience, as well as putting him in contention to obtain his work permit for English football.
Apparently, in signing Rajkovic, a regular for the Serbia and Montenegro Under-21 national side despite being only 16, Chelsea beat Arsenal and AC Milan. The youngster spent time at the Gunners’ youth camp last summer and has also reportedly attracted interested from Manchester United, Real Madrid, Monaco, Marseille, Inter Milan, Juventus and Barcelona. We await with interest the comments from Arsène Wenger about Chelsea signing players that others couldn?t, despite the fact that this particular one was within Arsenal?s grasp.
What is less reported, however, is that Chelsea have also signed another player identified at the Youth World Cup in Peru last September. Chelsea, naturally, sent Frank Arnesen, and other big clubs sent their talent spotters to Peru. Arnesen wrote his report after the championship, in which a Brazilian by the name of Anderson was snapped up. Anderson was considered the best player of the Championship, and Chelsea intend to send the bloke to Porto to obtain some experience. Apparently Arsenal also signed a Mexican player by the name of Vela, and he will be sent to Valencia.
That Chelsea send a player to Porto is not unexpected: when Chelsea signed José Mourinho, the transfer of the manager was accompanied by a partnership between Chelsea and Porto for precisely this kind of operation. Sending the player to Porto would also help Anderson ease himself into European football via a country with a shared language.
If confirmed, Chelsea have a 17-year old forward / attacking midfielder on their hands, signed from Brazilian side Grêmio. His full name is Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira, he?s 1m74 and weighs 77 kg. Anderson is a dashing, attacking midfield player whose abundance of skill makes him a top-rate crowd pleaser, and a nightmare for opponents. His series of wonder goals in the colours of Grêmio, have also contributed to making him one of the most talked about youngsters in Brazilian football and likened to another Brazilian crowd-pleaser, one Ronaldinho.
Grêmio confirmed the sale, and Anderson had this to say: ?I am very sad to have to leave Grêmio, a club that was always very important for me and that opened the doors. But I think that everybody has finished satisfied with this history?. Apparently the sale will net Grêmio ?5.5million for the sale of 70% of Anderson’s transfer rights.
Although Porto have confirmed that they have received the player, sources in Spain insist that his stay in Portugal is a staging post on his way to Chelsea.