Chelsea's £40m signing Honest Ahanor is "a good player for the style of the Premier League", according to Genoa sporting director Diego Lopez, who says the defender represents a new generation of Italian players moving beyond the Catenaccio style.
Ahanor, an 18-year-old centre-back with 41 senior appearances, will join Chelsea ahead of the 2027/28 season after the Blues agreed a deal with Atalanta in the summer. He is currently on loan at Crystal Palace and will challenge for minutes immediately upon his arrival.
A rapid rise from Genoa to Stamford Bridge
The two-cap Italy international made his senior debut as a 16-year-old for Genoa in September 2024. Lopez told Standard Sport that Ahanor's aggression, personality and versatility earmarked him for bigger things despite having made just six senior appearances for Genoa.
"He has the capacity to be aggressive, the personality to not be afraid to defend 20 metres, 30 metres from the goal, and to be determined to do it. He has the capacity to bring the ball and to find passes between the lines," Lopez said.
Palace loan as a development step
Lopez believes the loan to Palace was a conscious decision, with manager Pierre Sage sharing a similar tactical philosophy to Chelsea's Xabi Alonso. He described Ahanor as a player able to play two or three positions and keep a modern style of football.
"I know how Pierre Sage thinks of football more or less, and I think he's the kind of player of Xabi Alonso and Chelsea, or even Atalanta or Genoa," Lopez said. "There are a lot of clubs that are thinking about football in these steps. You need to be physically very strong to be prepared for this level."
Lopez added that joining a club like Chelsea at this age makes a loan to a Premier League team a good step, as it is "very, very different from Italy". He noted that Sage showed no fear in playing young players during his time at Lens last year.
