Chelsea 'will protect Charly Musonda's talent'

Belgian wonderkid Charly Musonda Jr was an instant hit in his first assignment at the senior level of professional football, joining La Liga outfit Real Betis in January.  The rave reviews he earned for his loan debut were quickly followed by expected rumblings that Real Betis will want to keep him for another 12 months.  They would no doubt prefer to buy him outright, but according to sporting director Miguel Torrecilla, that's not something that Chelsea's willing to entertain at all.

"He is a player for a top team and Chelsea will protect his talent."

"An option to buy him could be too expensive for us and will be impossible to pay it. These clubs buy and invest in talented players."

-Miguel Torrecilla; source: Goal

Intentional or unintentional, that's fairly pointed phrasing from Torrecilla, considering that Chelsea are often accused of wasting talent.  Then again, kids of Musonda's quality don't come along every day, so we better be protecting it as much as we can.

The report goes on to say that final decision on what to do next with Charly Jr won't be made until Antonio Conte has had a look at him.  But unless the new manager is willing to immediately put the 19-year-old to work, it's probably best for everyone involved to let him go back to Real Betis for next season.