Big things were expected of Chelsea’s Gael Kakuta when he arrived from Lens in 2007 and fought for the player as FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber banned and fined both player and club as the Blues were accused of inducing the player to break his contract with the French club…which was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after everyone realised that Kakuta never had a valid contract with Lens to break.
But I digress, Kakuta’s Chelsea career looked to be on the wane after initially working his way into Carlo Ancelotti’s thinking during the Italian’s spell at the club. Shortly after signing a new four-and-a-half year deal in December 2010 the Frenchman asked for a loan move in order to play regular football to aide his progression but both Fulham and Bolton proved to be unsuccessful destinations for the youngster.
Things started to look brighter for Kakuta whilst on loan at Dijon last season, where he scored five goals and made two assists in 14 matches, but it wasn’t enough to work his way back into Chelsea’s reckoning and he was loaned to Dutch club Vitesse. The 21-year-old believes he’s making progress there and he says he’s determined to get his career back on track.
He told Voetbal Primeur:
“I want to fight for my career.
“I feel better now, things are going in the right direction.
“Especially physically. I’m getting fitter. I was not used to playing 90 minutes, my body responded.
“Now it is getting better.”
He added:
“The next step was to recover my confidence and that is happening. I am growing in confidence every week.
“I am glad that I am playing. Last season I played too few games.”
Kakuta is still a young man and it’s understandable that the disruptions he’s had to face in his career, such as the double leg break and the sanctions held against him over his transfer to Chelsea, have delayed his development. But he’s a gifted individual and with the right guidance I believe he could make a breakthrough, although it’s easier said than done and especially so when you’re at a big European club with heightened pressures.
