Chelsea’s first pre-season goal was scored by a teenager who hasn’t even joined the club yet!
The first goal of the Xabi Alonso era at Chelsea was scored by a trialist who isn’t officially part of the team yet. On Tuesday afternoon at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, exciting young forward Dastan Satpayev put the Blues ahead in their pre-season game against A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers.
The 17-year-old, who is the youngest player ever to score for Kazakhstan, found the net just six minutes into the match with a fantastic finish past goalkeeper Jordan Holmes at the near post. Video shows Satpayev went one-on-one with Holmes after a smart pass from Chelsea academy graduate Ryan Kavuma-McQueen.
It was an amazing strike from the youngster, who got special permission from his current club, Kairat Almaty, to be part of Chelsea’s 28-man squad traveling to Australia and Asia. Chelsea has an agreement to officially sign him on his 18th birthday in a deal worth around £3.3 million plus bonuses.
Satpayev, who turns 18 next month, has already signed the necessary paperwork as an international trialist and has his parents’ blessing to join the squad. His performance against Western Sydney was praised by many fans, with one saying, “This kid is going to the very top.” Another wrote, “Dastan Satpayev, take a bow. What a way to introduce yourself. Chelsea’s future looks bright,” and a third shared, “Chelsea need to give him regular playing time, even if it means loaning him to Strasbourg or another club.”
According to Kazakhstan’s assistant manager Eldos Akhmetov, Satpayev has been training at Chelsea’s Cobham base this summer. “I spoke with Dastan recently. He’s already at the training ground, and though Xabi Alonso hasn’t started yet, Dastan is excited to meet him,” Akhmetov said.
The young star has earned the nickname ‘Baby Aguero’ because of his scoring talent. Last year, he helped Kairat Almaty win the Kazakh Premier League again by scoring 14 goals in 26 games, the second-best tally in the league, along with seven assists.
As mentioned, Satpayev became Kazakhstan’s youngest scorer last March when he scored in a 1-1 draw with Belgium. Naturally, many clubs showed interest, but Chelsea won the race to sign him in February 2025.
Satpayev’s agent, German Tkachenko, revealed, “Clubs from England, Spain, and Italy were all interested, including some from Russia, but he chose Chelsea.” Tkachenko added, “Talented players come from all over the world. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Abdukodir Khusanov are great examples from the post-Soviet region—one has won the Champions League, and the other plays for Man City under Pep Guardiola.”