Chelsea sign Deivid Washington for £17.2m: Decoding his stats
Chelsea have signed Brazilian teenage striker Deivid Washington from Santos for £17.2m. The youngster has signed a seven-year contract with the Blues with an option to extend another year. Interestingly, Washington becomes Mauricio Pochettino's ninth signing of this summer transfer window. The versatile forward will look to impress the Chelsea manager with his goal-scoring instincts. Here we will decode his stats.
Why does this story matter?
Chelsea are in dire straits with their striker conundrum. The problem started with Christopher Nkunku's knee injury during pre-season. Now with him gone, Chelsea have to stick with Nicolas Jackson due to a lack of proper options. Therefore Washington may give Pochettino another alternative to use upfront. There's also a possibility that they have invested in his potential and he may go out on loan.
Washington's career stats
The 18-year-old versatile forward started his footballing career at Brazilian top-tier outfit, Santos FC's youth setup. He featured in 13 appearances for the Under-20 team, scoring six times. Washington has represented Santos (senior team) 16 times and has netted two goals.
He scored two goals for Santos last season
Washington featured in nine Brazilian Serie A matches, netting twice. His goals came against Bahia and Vasco da Gama. The 18-year-old forward also featured in four Copa Sudamericana fixtures. Washington who predominantly plays as a striker can also slot in on the left wing. He also played three Copa do Brasil matches last season. He went blank in the cup competitions.
Breaking down his numbers in 2022-23 Brasileiro Serie A
As mentioned, Washington played nine league matches last season, netting twice. Out of which, four were appearances from the bench. As per WhoScored, he attempted 1.9 shots per game. He also completed 1 dribble and 0.3 key passes per ninety. Washington had 8.6 average passes and 74% passing accuracy per match. The 18-year-old attempted 0.7 shots per game from outside the box.
Second Santos FC player to join Chelsea this summer
Washington becomes the second Santos FC footballer to join Chelsea in this summer transfer window. Before this, the Blues have signed Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel from Santos. Gabriel, who joined the club for £14m has joined Strasbourg on a season-long loan deal. He will hone his skills in Ligue 1 under manager Patrick Vieira. It remains to be seen if Washington is loaned out.
Ninth summer signing for Chelsea
Washington marks Chelsea's ninth summer signing as they have broken the bank to secure their targets. The Blues have signed these players this summer: Nkunku, Jackson, Axel Disasi, Lesley Ogochukwu, Gabriel, Robert Sanchez, Diego Moreira, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and now Washington. Chelsea snapped up Caicedo for the British transfer record fee of £115m. Previously, they broke the same record for Enzo Fernandez.
