Young Chelsea star Josimar Quintero has followed in the footsteps of Blues teammate Charly Musonda by joining La Liga side Real Betis on loan until the end of the season.
The Ecuadorian midfielder impressed after scoring five times in 20 appearances for Chelsea’s development squad last season, subsequently joining Rostov on a season-long loan. However, the youngster managed only one cup appearance for the Russian Premier League side, before returning to Stamford Bridge on January 2.
Today, Chelsea confirmed Spanish side Betis had opted to take the 20-year-old on loan until the end of the current term. With his first-team opportunities in west London limited, the La Liga side have also been given the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
Quintero joins Charly Musonda as being the latest Blues academy member to join Real Betis on loan; the highly rated Belgian made 24 appearances for the side in 2016. However, it is believed that most of the Ecuadorian’s chances will come at Betis B, the team’s reserve squad who compete in the third tier of Spanish football.
Transition from winger to central midfielder
The Ecuador under-20 international is no stranger to Spain: he grew up in the country and joined Barcelona’s academy as a youth before signing for Chelsea in 2014. Despite being influential to the Blues’ 2016 success in the UEFA Youth League, Quintero has arguably struggled to reach his potential at a senior level to date, and recently made the switch from winger to central midfielder in an attempt to determine his strongest position.
According to Betis’ official website, Quintero said upon signing: “I am very excited to help the team. I hope to give everything possible, to give me confidence and return it. I am a fast player who likes to have ball possession, and I like to provide goal assists.”
