Chelsea's first goal of pre-season scored by teenager who doesn’t even play for club yet

The first goal of the Xabi Alonso era was scored by a trialist who doesn't officially play for Chelsea yet.

At the Accor Stadium in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon, highly-rated forward Dastan Satpayev opened the scoring for the Blues in their pre-season clash against A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers.

The 17-year-old, who is Kazakhstan's youngest-ever international goalscorer, found the back of the net with just six minutes on the clock after beating goalkeeper Jordan Holmes at the near post with a superb finish.

As seen in the footage below, Satpayev was in a one-on-one situation with Holmes, just moments after being played through by academy graduate Ryan Kavuma-McQueen.

It was a cracking strike from the youngster, who required special dispensation from Kazak side Kairat Almaty, his current club, to be named as part of Chelsea's 28-man travelling squad for their visit to Australia and Asia.

Chelsea have an agreement in place with Kairat to sign the player on his 18th birthday in a deal worth around £3.3million plus add-ons.

The teenager, who turns 18 next month, complies with the criteria of an international trialist having signed various forms in the build-up. He also received permission from his parents to join up with the squad.

Satpayev's cameo against Western Sydney Wanderers was praised by many onlookers, with one fan commenting: "This kid is going to the very top."

A second wrote: "Dastan Satpayev, take a bow. What a way to announce yourself. The future is bright at Chelsea," and another said: "Chelsea need to ensure he gets regular minutes, even if it is at Strasbourg or elsewhere."

Satpaev has been training at Cobham this summer, according to Kazakhstan's assistant manager Eldos Akhmetov.

“Today I spoke with Dastan Satpaev. He has already checked into the club’s training base in Cobham," said Akhmetov this month. "Head coach Xabi Alonso has not yet started work, but Dastan is really looking forward to meeting him.”

What should Chelsea fans expect from Dastan Satpaev?

The 17-year-old has earned the nickname 'Baby Aguero' after showcasing his ability in front of goal.

Last year, Kairat Almaty defended their Kazakh Premier Liga title, with Satpaev scoring 14 goals in 26 games, the second most in the league behind Astana’s Nazmi Griphsi. He also recorded seven assists.

As mentioned above, Satpaev became Kazakhstan's youngest-ever goalscorer in March 2025, when he netted in a 1-1 draw against Belgium.

Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of interest in the teenager, but Chelsea won the race to sign Satpaev in February 2025.

“Other clubs in England were interested in Satpaev, plus clubs from Spain and Italy,” said Satpaev’s agent, German Tkachenko. Russian clubs were also interested, but ultimately he opted for Chelsea."

Tkachenko added: “Talented footballers are discovered in every corner of the world. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Abdukodir Khusanov are just two examples from the post-Soviet space. One has won the Champions League and the other plays for Man City under Pep Guardiola."