3 days ago
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Talents Calendar
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Whether it is Justin Lerma to Borussia Dortmund, the twin brothers Edwin and Hólger Quintero to Arsenal, or Bayern Munich trying to sign Virgilio Olaya, it isn’t a secret anymore that Ecuador has become a gold mine for youth talent. In particular, the focus is on the academy of Independiente de Valle. The backline of Willian Pacho, Piero Hincapié, and Joel Ordóñez (21), perhaps the best defense in South America, came through at the Independiente del Valle academy. In Deinner Ordóñez (16), the next big talent is ready to make the jump.
The experts are ecstatic when they are talking about Ordóñez. “The next big thing,” Fabrizio Romano said. Other experts have used terms like “generational talent” or “the best player in his age group in South America.” The comments underline the enormous potential of the defender, which led him to join Independiente del Valle's youth academy at a young age. The two-time Copa Sudamericana winners have, without a doubt, one of the best youth academies in South America.
Ordóñez stands out, literally, as he was already 188cm tall at 15 years. He is always a step ahead of players his age and was one of the best players at national and international tournaments. At 14, he already played for the U17. At 15, he made another step up. The same is true for the national team as well. Within six months, he played for the U15 and U17 teams, then for the U20 team at the South American Championship. No matter the age group, he was always a started. “We are impressed with his development,” U20 national team coach Miguel Bravo said.
Still, there were some discussions when Ordóñez was nominated to the U20 at the age of 15. Those discussions went beyond sport. While his qualities are without a doubt, the question was whether it was necessary to put him under that sort of pressure. But on the field, Ordóñez didn’t seem to be impacted by all the outside discussions on whether he was ready to face the public pressure.
Chelsea secures “next big thing” Deinner Ordóñez
Several European clubs watched the progress of the center-back. Barça, Liverpool, and Benfica sent scouts to the games. But once again, Chelsea won the race, beating out two other Premier League clubs and a Bundesliga team to sign the talent. Supposedly. After all, the transfer isn’t confirmed yet. The expectations are that Ordóñez will head to London to join the Blues in January 2028.
Chelsea's sporting directors, Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, worked hard on the deal, including on location. It has long been a Premier League club's strategy to secure South American talent at a very young age. Before signing Ordóñez, the club already secured Denner, who will join the club for €10m next summer. Previously, the club invested heavily to sign Estêvão (€45m) and Kendry Páez (for €10m). Ordóñez, too, will join for a significant transfer fee. Chelsea believe that the talented players will pay back the investment.
“He is a technically gifted and fast player, with good ball control, who can play long passes, and has the physical presence to win aerial duels,” Transfermarkt Data Administrator Christopher García said. “In terms of playing style, he is quite similar to Willian Pacho and Joel Ordóńez.” Able to play with both feet, he is a very modern center-back. “His weaknesses are his lack of experience and being nervous at tournaments where some of his opponents were up to five years older than him. Still, even then he always seemed to fulfill his role.”
Before he heads to Europe, Ordóñez has to continue his development in Ecuador over the next two years. The conditions for that are perfect at Independiente del Valle. Year after year, young players get their chance to show their talent. The expectation is that he will make his first-team debut very soon. Upon visits to London, his compatriots Moisés Caicedo and Páez, who both moved up through the IDV academy, will undoubtedly help him get used to his new environment.
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2008 and 2009. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
