Why Chelsea's latest grand transfer plan won't fix club's major issue any time soon

Maybe one day, Chelsea will stop planning for the future and start planning for a rather indifferent present, but as it stands their owners seem determined to buy as many promising youngsters as possible – and between this summer and the day that they ask permission of the Premier League to offer pre-contract agreements to embryos, they seem to want to sign Barcelona starlet Marc Guiu.

You remember him. He came on for his senior debut back in October and scored the winning goal against Athletic Club 23 seconds later. It was the fairytale moment that threw the 18-year-old Spain Under-19 international into the spotlight – but this was not enough, apparently, to persuade Barcelona to negotiate a new contract with him. The striker’s current deal supposedly allows him to leave for as little as €6m (£5m) and that’s where Chelsea come in.

Is Guiu the real deal or just a flash in the pan? At that price – chicken feed by Chelsea’s recent standards – they seem willing to gamble and find out, at least according to journalist Gerard Romero, the somewhat clownish streamer and Barça source who gets a decent amount of things right despite his over-the-top online persona.

Guiu’s startling start to life as a first-teamer earned him six more appearances in blue and red including two starts, one in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey and another against RCD Mallorca in the league, and he scored a second senior goal in the surprise 3-2 defeat against Royal Antwerp at the end of the Champions League group stage.

Those two goals say a lot about the qualities he has – the first, against Athletic, the product of a smart and well-timed run off the shoulder of the last man, a decent burst of pace and a cool side-footed finish back across the goalkeeper at close quarters, a goal packed with composure and technique. The second, against Antwerp, was more straightforward – a strong header from a corner angled inside the near post after getting goalside of his marker.

In other words, Guiu is a classical number nine, blessed with good short-range movement, a good touch and remarkably cool finishing which wouldn’t look out of place coming from the feet and forehead of a player ten years older. He’s also got a nice burst of pace which, combined with that intelligent off-ball work, makes him a real headache to mark.

His all-round game still needs plenty of work and you can’t expect him to be more than a number nine. He’s not a natural creator or passer (in his three La Liga appearances he racked up a total of eight whole passes, although in fairness he completed the lot) and isn’t going to be dropping deep to tee up his team-mates – but if you want a long-term prospect who can stay on the shoulder of the last defender and score goals, Guiu looks like a pretty solid bet, especially at such a reduced price.

The only concern is just how crowded Chelsea’s dressing room is getting, and whether that might hinder his development if Chelsea do make a bid and he decides to move. They already have Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku on the books, are expected to sign another striker and even have Cole Palmer as an occasional false nine, although Enzo Maresca may not employ him as such.

Then there’s all the other young players Chelsea are signing in astonishing numbers. They may well have Kendry Páez, Estevão Willian, David Datro Fofana, Omari Kellyman, Deivid Washington and Ângelo jostling for a spot in or around the front three in the near future, and that’s ignoring the youngsters coming through Cobham itself in the coming years. There comes a point where competition for places just turns into an exercise in suppressing the required volume of opportunities – and they don’t even have that link to Vitesse to organise an annual slew of loans any more.

Guiu looks like he could well be the real deal, and by Chelsea’s free-spending standards he would be a bargain, costing around a quarter as much as the less-established Kellyman, for instance. So there’s no particular reason to think this wouldn’t be a great deal if it came to fruition – but there’s plenty of cause to worry that Chelsea’s transfer strategy is seeing them throw far too much money at teenagers while they all too often waste the cash they throw at the senior squad. Asking after Guiu is a good idea, but the broader direction of travel at Stamford Bridge is looking a little less smart.