Chelsea have clearly been doing their due diligence in Belgium lately, and yesterday the reports that we had added Charly Musonda Jr were not only confirmed, but expanded upon by Anderlecht. When asked about the rumored move involving the jewel of their academy, the club confirmed that Charly would be joined by older brothers Tika and Lamisha at Stamford Bridge. Anderlecht chief Herman Van Holsbeeck was quoted with the following:
I wish to thank the management of Chelsea for their correct and generous attitude in this matter. We regret the departure of the Musonda brothers, but the financial effort proposed by the London club is a sign of great respect to Anderlecht.
It appears that the entire family will be moving to London, something that comes as a bit of a surprise. Lamisha is a solid enough prospect, the 20 year old central midfielder is currently a member of the Belgian U21 setup. While he's hardly the type of blue chip prospect Chelsea normally set their sights on, he should instantly become a useful part in the new U21 league. Tika is an 18 year old midfielder who is currently a part of the Belgian U18 side.
Terms of the deal will likely never be disclosed, but if I was a betting man I'd guess that Chelsea paid a very minimal amount here by Chelsea standards. There would have been no fee for young Charly outside of a developmental fee, as he's yet to sign a professional deal. I'd guess that Chelsea offered an above market fee for the two elder Musondas to help appease the Belgian side after taking the star of their academy.
I wouldn't expect a full profile on any of these three to be coming, as none have really played enough at the top level to form a conclusion about. We had some video up of Charly yesterday, but the other two brothers have built up far less of a highlight reel at this point. Lamisha was involved in one that we showed you last year en route to our second of seven Belgian signings, as Romelu Lukaku put on a show in the preseason for Anderlecht. Here it is again for your enjoyment:
What the future holds for these three is far from certain, but it's nice to see clubs thanking Chelsea for the way they deal in the transfer market lately. Things have certainly gone much smoother in this regard under Michael Emenalo than they did under Frank Arnesen. I'll look forward to seeing all three this fall, although I doubt we'll see any playing in the first team at any point soon. Welcome to London guys, we'll be pulling for you.