The recent high-profile transfer of the Kazakh talent, Dastan Satpayev, to Chelsea is certainly the talk of the town in his homeland, although perhaps less so in West London, where he agreed professional terms with his new club earlier this summer.
Chelsea are no longer listed among the favourites to win the English Premier League every season, other than perhaps by their own staunch supporters, and a few days short of the new season, this hasn’t changed, even with new manager Xabi Alonso at the helm.
One of the issues at Stamford Bridge is squad size, with Alonso perhaps knowing that he needs to streamline his squad and shed some playing staff.
As a result, Dastan Satpayev will (probably) not play for the 2016-2017 Premier League champions this season, as the 18-year-old forward has been loaned to Championship club Burnley.
Loan Moves no Longer Seen as Failure
It used to freak aspiring professional footballers out to be sent on loan. There was a fear, somehow, of being asked to turn out for lower league sides, which worried young players that they were being readied for sale to those clubs, or that it was some kind of hint that they weren’t good enough to play for the parent club.
Chances are, it was David Beckham who changed the way that players see loan spells, as his short stint at Preston North End led to a glittering career and to becoming one of the most decorated English players of all time.
Being sent on loan isn’t what every young player wants, and although I can’t speak for him, it may not have been top of Dastan Satpayev’s own bucket list, but this is a very smart move for both him and the new club, Burnley FC.
Even if extremely good, very few teenagers just walk straight into a leading Premier League side, not when that side can attract experienced campaigners who have won World Cups and Champions Leagues.
This doesn’t necessarily hurt the youngsters, because they still get to train with the best, not to mention learn from some of the leading coaches in the league, but when there are three serial winners more likely to be selected, it inevitably reduces appearances for the first team. A season playing for the under-21s in front of a few clapping parents isn’t exactly soul-destroying, but also not the kind of thing that dreams are made of.
Match Experience
Even attending Premier League matches in a tracksuit can get frustrating if the player ends up warming the bench for most of the season, otherwise lucky enough to get a run-out in an FA Cup tie against a Forest Green Rovers, a match the top side may often even lose.
Karl Conlon-Parr
Burnley play their home games at a stadium called Turf Moor and often fill the stands. Their average home attendance tops 21,000 in a typical season, although this number has been slightly higher when they have been in the Premier League.
Not quite big enough to guarantee survival in the English top flight doesn’t make Burnley a small club (what would be known as a minnow in the English game), and they are among the favourites to go back up again this year.
If Dastan Satpayev gets regular game time, as he is anticipated to do, this means he could become one of the heroes of a passionate Lancashire crowd and make his name as one of the leading lights in a season that could bring joy to the many thousands who support his new team. You can’t replace that.
This means match experience, stadium experience, the experience of being a hero – although perhaps sometimes not so. He will learn to deal with the passion and speed of the English game, the spotlight that players are under, the close bond that they form with their fans, and sadly, the animosity they may experience from fans of other teams. Fortunately, the respect to be found in and around English football these days means that nothing worse than banter is likely to affect the Kazakh player – but it’s not impossible he’ll get it, and it’ll be part of ‘growing up’.
Maintaining Match Fitness
A powerful and fit professional such as Dastan Satpayev thrives on action and isn’t the type of player to be content on the subs bench week in week out. He needs to be on the pitch scoring, creating chances, splitting defences apart, frustrating goalkeepers, embarrassing defenders. Playing for Burnley is one step down from playing for Chelsea, but not in terms of fitness. Provided manager Nicky Hayen picks him, weekly matches will give him chance to maintain the level of fitness he may struggle to if not playing regularly.
It’s not just about jogging and sit-ups. Any player can train. Match fitness comes from playing at the intensity of the game when opponents are doing everything they can to prevent you from producing the best of what you can give your team. Reserve matches are still kicking a ball, but lack the ‘liveness’ that a fully competitive match in front of thousands in the stadium, plus millions on TV, can offer.
Making a Name for Himself
Almost nobody knows how Chelsea reserves went on last week. Millions of people know how Chelsea did. And millions know how Burnley did, too, many of them in Kazakhstan, now helping to boost the social media stats on the Clarets’ various platforms.
This all means that Dastan Satpayev has a ready platform of his own. He has an incredible chance to turn out for this lesser-known side and make it his own; to win the hearts of their fans, his countrymen, and the Chelsea supporters, who will be keen to follow his progress.
Yet through all of this, the exposure he will get at Burnley will be more manageable, and he will have time to adapt to the English game without some of the intense scrutiny a Premier League newcomer would be under every time they run a few yards.
And let’s not forget, loan players can be recalled in the event of any issue at the parent club that necessitates bringing in another player, which means Satpayev may even get his chance at Stamford Bridge this season anyway.
This loan move to Burnley is good news for the 18-year-old player, and the examples of numerous top professionals have put that beyond doubt. One of the world’s best strikers, Harry Kane, spent several seasons of his early career out on loan, scoring goals for fun at lower-league clubs such as Leyton Orient and Millwall. Look at him now. Kevin de Bruyne himself also went out on loan before making it to the top, as have many others.
Some Kazakhstani football fans may have reacted with disappointment at the news that they won’t get to see their prized export turn out for Chelsea this coming season, but let’s get this in perspective – it doesn’t mean that Chelsea have changed their mind and it doesn’t mean that Dastan Satpayev hasn’t lived up to their expectations.
It simply means that they want the best for him, and this loan move could be the very best thing to help bring that on.
My only gripe here is that Chelsea didn’t loan him to Crewe Alexandra, but, anyway, life goes on!
