Chelsea have new £183m transfer truth as Enzo Maresca lands impossible task after agreement

Chelsea are a lot of things, but predictable is not one. How to follow up on the news that Michael Olise would not be joining this summer? By signing an 18-year-old with a track record at Premier League 2 level on par (at best) with some of those already owned by the club, of course.

Welcome, Omari Kellyman, to the club. Not to Chelsea, but the group of talented young players that Chelsea are buying, that is the real club. For £19million he is now in advanced talks to arrive as an offshoot of the deal that will see Ian Maatsen go to Aston Villa for around £37million, football.london understands.

In essence, the player swap here will gain Chelsea £18million in net figures. When Kellyman's cost is amortised over the length of his likely long-term contract - limited accounting-wise to five years - it will be around £4million per season. Maatsen will bank the club the figure that he is immediately sold for. A win in the books and a boost to the profitability and sustainability rules (PSRs) that surely need to be changed to stop these academy transactions from being so heavily rewarded financially.

Chelsea will also gain a talented young forward who is well-rated. He is tall, versatile, and has already taken small steps towards being involved at first-team level. On the flip side, they lose a Champions League final starting left-back who is also now at a major international tournament. A player with four years of senior experience already, over 120 league starts for a variety of clubs across the pitch. Chelsea are also in need of a left-back.

It is unfair to directly compare the players, though. This is not really the point. Kellyman is a fine prospect and doesn't choose the fee, but this is a lot of money for someone so unproven at any senior level, let alone the top. And here is where some of the questions start, because for all the logic of signing talented players, doing so at such a cost an with such volume is massively risky in both the short and long term.

At some stage, just two or three years ago, Charlie Webster was seen as one of the top talents at Chelsea. On Friday, he moved to Burton Albion. Harvey Vale is still extremely well-regarded at the club but spent last term out on loan at Bristol Rovers. Bashir Humphreys impressed on his debut last year and did well in his first senior season at Swansea.

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These players, for all intents and purposes, have and continue to go down different paths. At some stage, they were, and perhaps still are, admired at Chelsea. What does that look like in a transfer value, though? Because it sure isn't £19million or close.

What happens to the finances if some of these players don't go the way that the club hopes? That will be factored in, of course, but having enough 'wins' to override the 'losses' is quite a gamble to make on teenagers who haven't stepped foot in a senior changing room. Even in a world of inflated transfer prices and accounting loopholes, good luck.

Then there is the message. Take, for example, Leo Castledine. He is the same age as Kellyman, he has also made a senior appearance and trains with the first team on occasion. He scored 10 times and assisted nine at PL2 level last season. Kellyman played seven times less in the same competition and scored seven without assisting. Comparable levels of output for two quality academy sides.

One is now lined up to be given a serious chance next season, and one has a bigger challenge. One cost £19million and one will likely have to settle for a loan before getting a look-in.

Actually, maybe Chelsea are predictable, then. It has become too commonplace now to fail with getting first-choice targets and the rebound or next deal to then become yet another teenage sensation. Meanwhile, those under the club's nose at Cobham have a harder time getting the attention their records and success deserve.

That is predictable. And two years on from the Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly ownership, it is starting to grate.

The arrival of Carney Chukwuemeka out of the blue in their first summer, also for around £20million and also from Aston Villa, was greeted by excitement. But not only has Chukwuemeka so far struggled for a multitude of factors - many of which come down to systematic failings due to the structure and environment he has been given to work in but it is less enticing for fans when this happens all the time.

Firstly, it was Chukwuemeka, then Kendry Paez (around a reported £12million). Estevao Willian is next in line. Omari Hutchinson was a precursor for less money. Deivid Washington cost £17million. The money spent on teenage talent is astronomical.

Angelo Gabriel and Andrey Santos both set Chelsea back over £10million each. Lesley Ugochukwu, 19 when he arrived, was over £20million, Romeo Lavia was £58million. Cesare Casadei was another £15millin when he signed. In total, plus Kellyman, this is almost £200million on teenagers.

For players of this age, it is too soon to judge them, especially as most have not even arrived to train, let alone play, and their development is still to come. But it is not too soon to question just what is going on here. Both morally and in a sporting sense. Using players as a tool for trading or as assets is bad in any scenario, let alone when they are so young.

Until either the players signed bring tangible success - or show signs of development, and this will take time simply due to their age - then the questions will continue. Parallel to this is one of the best youth set-ups in the world. All of those who are coming through now have to try a bit harder to make their way; all of them are immediately on the back foot due to not costing millions.

None of this is to say that Kellyman may not become a success, but he is already the third teenage left-footed attacker who will be in place in the summer of 2025, possibly all of whom will be making their first foray into the side at the same time. Add Hutchinson, and that is four, although he plays as a winger.

This feels either reckless or irresponsible. Perhaps both. Not everyone can make it, but to create this landscape in the first place and then expect success is not a formula for fostering results on or off the pitch. At least not yet. Until things change, the heat is going to be on.