Forgotten Chelsea flop dubbed ‘generational talent’ would still be there now ‘if things went how they were supposed to’
FORMER Chelsea wonderkid Gael Kakuta has claimed that he would still be at Stamford Bridge, if things had gone “how they were supposed to”.
The winger, now 32, arrived in West London to much fanfare as a 16-year-old in 2007.
Kakuta’s move became infamous in September 2009, when Chelsea were handed a two-window transfer ban after the teenager was alleged to have “broken his contract” with Lens in order to make the switch.
He was also handed a four-month ban, and ordered to pay a fine of £670,000.
The sanctions were eventually lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, following an appeal by the Blues.
By this point interest in Kakuta was high, with murmurs of his talent having already spread around Stamford Bridge.
He eventually made his Premier League debut against Wolves in 2010, being thrown on by then-boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Reminiscing over the occasion during a recent chat with Sportbible, Kakuta said: “Everyone was curious because Chelsea were banned because of me.
“Everyone in the crowd was like, ‘Oh, it’s him. It’s him.’ I was thinking, ‘Yeah, it’s me. Let me prove myself and show what I’m made of.’”
Kakuta would go on to make just 16 first team appearances for Chelsea before eventually leaving permanently in 2015, following six loan spells away.
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Among those who saw him up close at Cobham, his talent had never been in doubt.
Appearing on John Obi Mikel‘s podcast earlier this year, Eden Hazard was asked who the most talented player he’d ever played with was.
The Belgian, 33, played with the likes of Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, N’Golo Kante, Mo Salah and Kevin De Bruyne during his glittering career.
But in response, he said: “Kakuta by far. He is the number one. Talent. I mean, talent. Wow.”
Nine years on from leaving Chelsea, Kakuta has admitted: “I think I’d still be at Chelsea today if things turned out like they were supposed to.
“In fact, I’d have finished my career there.”
So why didn’t he?
His Fifa ban certainly didn’t help matters, but Kakuta also cites a lack of first team pathway at Stamford Bridge as a key obstacle, claiming that his lack of minutes, having stopped playing for Chelsea’s academy sides, saw him become unfit.
He said: “We weren’t playing reserve team football at the time.
“The first-team were playing every three days but we were barely involved. Those playing at youth level kept their confidence and rhythm. It was difficult.”
‘YOU THINK YOU’RE INVINCIBLE’
Kakuta starred at the Uefa Under-19 European Championships with France, but playing through an injury upon his return to Chelsea scuppered matters even further.
He added: “I had an injury that I didn’t treat properly. You think you’re invincible when you’re young. I remember after I won the Euros with France, I came back to Chelsea.
“We played in a pre-season game against Hamburg. I got injured after the Euro final but I knew this was my moment to shine, because I finished as the tournament’s best player.
“To get that chance as a young player at Chelsea, especially at that time when the big names were there, was rare but I was injured.
“I trained and played injured. And I’m going to tell you something funny now. I still have the pain today. I tore a tendon muscle between the glute and the hamstring.
“I still struggle with my hamstring because it turned into a calcification, which scarred the tissue. You have to treat those things. It was only until afterwards that I found out.”
Kakuta left permanently for Sevilla in 2015, but struggled to make the cut with the LaLiga side.
Subsequent spells at Hebei China Fortune and Deportivo Alaves followed, prior to his first stint at Amiens in 2017.
Since a solitary season with Rayo Vallecano in 2018-19, he has split his time between Lens and Amiens, having two spells with each since 2019.
He now plies his trade with the latter in France’s second tier, while he also plays international football for DR Congo – and featured at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.