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We knew that Chelsea had reached an agreement for Cristian Cuevas several months ago, but the signing became official today as the player signed his Chelsea deal. Here is the announcement from the club on the matter:
Chelsea Football Club has completed the signing of Cristian Cuevas from Chilean club O'Higgins.
The 18-year-old has signed a contract until 2018. He came through the youth ranks at O'Higgins before breaking into the first team and playing in the top flight in Chile.
At the FIFA Under-20 World Cup this summer he played in four of his nations' five games as Chile made it to the quarter-finals before losing to Ghana.
At 5ft 7in tall he plays primarily as a left-back but can also operate as a left-winger.
Like Wallace and Bertand Traore, Cuevas will need a work permit in order to play in England, and the announcement from the club makes no mention of that situation. It will be interesting to see if the club even attempt to secure one for the player, or if he's immediately farmed out to a club on the continent.
I'd have to assume that a continental loan will be forthcoming, as the odds of a player getting a work permit right now don't seem to be the greatest. I'd assume we'll get that news relatively shortly, along with the destinations for quite a few of our other youth.
