A lot consideration will give attention to 17-year-old striker Dastan Satpaev, who has 5 caps for Kazakhstan and is about to hitch Chelsea in a £4m transfer subsequent summer season.
Chelsea scouts noticed Satpaev starring for Kairat’s Underneath-17 staff as they received the Helvetia Cup in Switzerland towards groups together with Paris St-Germain and Marseille.
Talks started quickly after and have been finalised in February 2025, which could lead on him to turn into the primary Kazakh to play within the Premier League.
Satpaev additionally had a two-week trial at Cobham coaching centre, the place he took photographs with Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Christopher Nkunku and membership legend John Terry.
Membership president Boranbayev instructed the Russian-language documentary Nobel that Satpaev performed in a behind-closed-doors under-21 pleasant, scoring a hat-trick and including an help.
In the identical movie, Satpaev acknowledged curiosity from Zenit St Petersburg, Actual Sociedad, Benfica, Salzburg and Marseille, and membership officers mentioned that they had rival affords from Benfica and Hoffenheim. There may be additionally a clip of a former youth coach saying he scored 54 objectives in 19 league video games through the 2021 academy season.
Satpaev already speaks some English having anticipated a transfer to Europe, studying even earlier than Chelsea’s method, and certainly one of his dad and mom is anticipated to accompany him to London.
Within the meantime, Kairat and Chelsea have an association to assist Satpaev whereas he stays in Kazakhstan, with Blues scouts offering suggestions throughout his closing season at his boyhood membership. They may have been impressed along with his 12 objectives and 7 assists in 26 home matches this season.
Satpaev is a quick striker, typically in contrast by team-mates to Manchester Metropolis legend Sergio Aguero. He turned the second-youngest goalscorer in Champions League qualifying historical past by netting towards Olimpija Ljubljana at 16 years, 10 months and 26 days outdated.
In his first UK interview with BBC Sport, Satpaev mentioned: “As a baby, I cherished soccer and infrequently performed with boys older than me with my brother’s associates. My dad and mom frightened I would get injured, as I performed on sandy and rocky pitches towards larger boys.
“We solely took breaks to drink juice. Others observed my velocity, and finally my grandfather advised I take trials at Kairat, the place my profession started.
“Kairat vastly supported me with its infrastructure, coaches and participant improvement method. It additionally helped me turn into mentally sturdy, keep centered, and embrace onerous work from an early age.
“We carried out nicely at worldwide youth tournaments, which attracted a proposal from a membership like Chelsea.”
When discussing Satpaev, individuals shortly point out his work ethic. Having managed him at youth and senior ranges, Urazbakhtin defined: “We needed to forbid him from coaching.
“He was at all times sneaking out into the health club or again on to the pitches after periods. We would giggle as a result of [we would] see him practising at nighttime via the window and we needed to inform him to cease, however he now understands the significance of restoration.”
Satpaev is a reluctant poster boy for Kazakh soccer.
“God keen, my ambition is to turn into knowledgeable soccer participant who’s aggressive on the European degree, to indicate that Kazakhstan additionally has many proficient gamers, and by no means to cease after what I’ve already achieved,” he added.
“I need to by no means hand over, proceed working onerous and attain my objectives.”
