If that is an indication of how the Xabi Alonso era at Chelsea is going to be, we are all in for an exciting campaign. In the Blues' first pre-season friendly of the summer, they were involved in a truly bonkers game at Stadium Australia, beating A-League outfit Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4.
Dastan Satpayev broke the deadlock inside six minutes, Dário Essugo and Jamie Gittens were also on target, while João Pedro came off the bench to score a hat-trick in the space of nine minutes, goals that turned a defeat into a win down under.
Given the sheer volume of players signed during the Clearlake Capital-era, particularly young players, it can certainly be difficult for fans to keep track. Thus, Dastan Satpayev's well-taken goal at the very start of this game, bursting in-behind before smashing the ball into the roof of Jordan Holmes' net, may have been he first most Chelsea fans had ever heard of him. So, who is Satpayev, and could he be a first team figure for Alonso next season?
Who is Dastan Satpayev?
Our first goal of 26/27! 😍
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 28, 2026
Chelsea actually agreed to sign Dastan Satpayev for €4 million back in February 2025 and, well, this may prove to be a stroke of genius, given that his value surely exponentially increased thereafter. This time last summer, he helped Kairat qualify for the Champions League for the very first time. They enjoyed wins over Olimpija Ljubljana and KuPS, before ousting both Slovan Bratislava and Celtic on penalties, two major shocks. Satpayev scored in all three home victories, sitting out Celtic's visit to Almaty suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Once in the league phase, unsurprisingly, Kairat struggled to compete, yielding just one point from eight fixture. Satpayev though did score during November's 3-2 defeat against København at Parken. Thus, at the age of just 17 years and 106 days, he became the third-youngest scorer in Champions League history.
Only Ansu Fati and Lamine Yamal, both of Barcelona, have netted in the competition at a younger age in the modern era. Even going back to the very start of the European Cup in the mid-50s, only Włodzimierz Lubański (1963), Nii Lamptey (1991) and János Radics (1967) have done so younger than Satpayev
Overall, in 58 appearances for Kairat, Satpayev bagged 26 goals and ten assists, netting seven times in 15 outings during the first half of 2026, before making the move to West London. He also made his senior international debut for Kazakhstan in Cardiff in March 2025, before opening the scoring as the side ranked 111 in the world held Belgium to an historic 1-1 draw in Astana last November.
Thus, Satpayev is clearly a talented player, and the €4 million Chelsea paid could prove to be an absolute bargain. He is though making an enormous step up. UEFA ranks the Kazakh Premier League as the 39th strongest league in Europe, while Opta believe it to be the 71st best league in the world. This places Kazakhstan's top-flight five places above the Thai League and six below the German third-tier. For an English comparison, EFL League One is 48th with EFL League Two 90th, so it is somewhere in the middle.
Nevertheless, Satpayev has showcased his quality in both Champions League and international football, so will believe he can become an important figure at Chelsea, even if this will take time. It would not be a surprise if the 17 year old was loaned out later in the summer; perhaps he should start house hunting in Strasbourg already.
What next for Chelsea in pre-season?
Next up, Chelsea will play their other Sydney Super Cup fixture against fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. After that, Xabi Alonso' side have a busy schedule ahead, They will travel to Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia for fixtures, including playing two matches in two days 700 miles apart next weekend. It is a good thing the Blues have so many players, isn't it?
They conclude pre-season by welcoming Real Sociedad to Stamford Bridge on 15 August. All of this is building towards Chelsea's Premier League opener, a Monday night West London derby against Fulham at Craven Cottage on 24 August. Who knows, if Satpayev continues to bang in the goals all across Asia, he might just be involved on the banks of the River Thames.
Chelsea's complete pre-season fixture list:
- Tuesday 28 July. 6-4 win vs Western Sydney Wanderers.
- Saturday 1 August. Tottenham Hotspur. Kick off 7:45pm (local) and 10:45 (BST). Stadium Australia, Sydney.
- Wednesday 5 August. Juventus. Kick off 7:30pm (local) and 12:30 (BST). Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong.
- Saturday 8 August. AC Milan. Kick off 7pm (local) and 1pm (BST). Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia.
- Sunday 9 August. Johor Darul Ta'zim. Kick off 8pm (local) and 1pm (BST). Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Malaysia.
- Saturday 15 August. Real Sociedad. Kick off 2pm (BST). Stamford Bridge, West London.
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