Those close to Geovany Quenda have called it the ‘Road to London’ – his build-up to joining Chelsea from Sporting Lisbon in a deal worth up to £44million and pre-agreed 18 months ago.
This weekend, Quenda will arrive at his destination, sources saying he is scheduled to fly to the English capital on Saturday before beginning pre-season with his new club under Xabi Alonso.
There is no overstating the size of this move for the 19-year-old winger. The Portuguese talent is treating it as the ‘opportunity of a lifetime’, we are told, and that has acted as motivation over the last six months while privately preparing for this next chapter of his career.
Indeed, this week marked the six-month anniversary of Quenda having surgery in London on the fractured fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Rather than return to Sporting, he temporarily remained in Chelsea’s care, recovering and following a training and nutrition programme designed in every detail by his future club.
It was in April 2026 when he finally returned for Sporting, and sources within the Portuguese club have told Daily Mail Sport their youth product came back to them having ‘added muscle mass’ during his rehabilitation at Cobham. It was not an accident. As it was explained to Quenda, the idea was to begin preparing him for the physicality of the Premier League.
The Portugal Under 21s winger – who can also be used as a wing back, helpfully for Alonso – had to focus on finishing the 2025-26 campaign with Sporting. However, he found it tough trying to retake the wings from team-mates who had established themselves in his absence, such as Pedro Goncalves, 27, and Geny Catamo, 25, and largely took on the role of an impact substitute.
Geovany Quenda has been working hard behind the scenes ahead of his move to Chelsea, bulking up thanks to intense gym work since he fractured his metatarsal
Contacts within Quenda’s camp describe a ‘no days off’ mantra, with the winger spending hours every day working with his personal trainer
The 19-year-old is ready to hit the ground running after cutting short his pre-season to make a big impression on new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso
He was unable to leave on a high, with Sporting finishing second in the Primeira Liga to Porto, and losing in the final of the Taca de Portugal, stunned by their underdog opponents, Torreense of the second division.
Quenda ended that injury-interrupted season with six goals and nine assists for Sporting, though his campaign was not finished quite yet. Two days of rest followed after Sporting’s May 24 season finale before he joined Portugal’s Under 21s, scoring twice for his nation’s youth side in a 4-0 win over Northern Ireland earlier this month on June 3.
In all he has 11 goals in 30 games for Portugal’s age-group sides, and was given a senior call-up at the age of just 17, though two years on he is still awaiting a debut. It is not easy to break into Roberto Martinez’s star-studded squad right now.
With his international duties complete this month, rather than fly to Dubai or Ibiza or wherever today’s footballers tend to holiday, we are told Quenda was not satisfied with how his season had concluded, and so he decided to remain in Lisbon, closer to family and friends.
The primary reason was that ‘Road to London’, with contacts within Quenda’s camp describing a ‘no days off’ mantra. He might spend a few hours at the beach, watch a little anime (Japanese cartoons), indulge in some of his favourite food caldo de mancarra – a dish from Guinea-Bissau, where he was born – but the idea was to work daily alongside his hired personal trainer.
He resumed recovery and strength training sessions previously provided to him by Chelsea in a bid to be ready. Over the last week, Quenda has contacted multiple team-mates and members of staff at Sporting, including in the academy set-up, to say his individual goodbyes.
Alonso intends to use this pre-season to take a closer look at players, though Chelsea insiders have long said that the plan is for Quenda to remain where he is, rather than leave on loan to gain extra experience.
His versatility helps. Quenda spent his first senior season with Sporting playing as a right wing-back in a back-three system – Ruben Amorim was his coach – and his second season as a winger, operating on both sides and also as a No 10 on the odd occasion.
Quenda’s versatility will stand him in good stead with Alonso, who can switch between having three or four at the back
Alonso intends to use this pre-season to take a closer look at players, though Chelsea insiders have long said that the plan is for Quenda to stay in London rather than leave on loan
Chelsea pushing to speedily sign Marco Palestra from Atalanta suggests Alonso is keen for the option of adequately using a back three with wing-backs.
Alonso is not expected to exclusively rely on the 3-4-2-1 that brought such success at Bayer Leverkusen – Palestra, 21, can also be used as a full back as well as a wing-back on either side – but Alonso has urged his club to bring in the versatile Italy international for a reason.
Now he will also have Quenda, who, like Palestra, is a footballer fit for both systems and raring to go at the end of his ‘Road to London’.
