Dastan Satpaev: The new Sergio Aguero rewriting history in Kazakhstan ahead of record-breaking transfer to Chelsea

Satpaev was born on August 12, 2008, in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, and by the age of eight had joined the youth ranks of Kairat. There was something extraordinary about him that stood out from even a young age, with local sports reporters hailing Satpaev as a 'prodigy' and a 'genius'.

Despite being at least two years younger than most of his competitors, Satpaev was promoted into Kairat's Under-18s side when he was 15 and still made fools of the opposition. Across the 2023 and 2024 seasons in the developmental QJ League, he provided 26 goals and 10 assists in 28 matches, winning the competition's MVP award for the second of those campaigns.

Unsurprisingly, Satpaev's performances were picked up by Kazakhstan's national youth teams, too. He was immediately thrust into a higher age group, this time the U17s, where he scored four goals in 10 games before it was decided he should be with the U21 and senior sides instead.

Amidst his scoring exploits in the QJ League, Satpaev was called into Kairat's first-team squad towards the start of their 2024 season, and he made his senior debut while still 15 in March 2024, coming off the bench in a 9-0 win over Akzhayik in Kazakhstan's League Cup.

Satpaev went on to make five league appearances for Kairat's B team in the second tier during that season, and he even popped up with a 90th-minute winner - his first professional goal - in a 1-0 victory away to Tapaz in August 2024.

He was then made a permanent fixture in the first-team squad for the 2025 Kazakh season, and by February of that year, Chelsea had seen enough. The Premier League giants, busy with their recruitment drive aimed at signing the best young talent in the world, agreed a £3.5 million ($4.7m) fee with Kairat to acquire Satpaev when he turned 18 in August 2026. The deal, which features various add-ons and further incentives for Kairat, makes Satpaev the most expensive export from the Kazakh Premier League.

Satpaev's future is secure in that regardless of how he plays, he will still join up with Chelsea in August 2026. He could have made little-to-no progress in the 18 months between signing a contract and actually arriving in west London, but has instead gone from strength to strength.

On the first day of the 2025 Kazakh Premier League season, Satpaev scored the equaliser as Kairat drew 1-1 away at title rivals Astana. That proved to be the first of 14 goals he would net in his first top-flight campaign, only pipped to the Golden Boot by Astana's Albania international Nazmi Gripshi, who finished with 16. Nevertheless, Kairat and Satpaev, who also tallied seven assists, pipped the capital club to the title again by only two points.

The highlight of Kairat's 2025, however, came in Europe as they qualified for the Champions League proper for the first time. Entering at the first qualifying round, they emerged victorious from three ties, Satpaev scoring in all of them, to set up a play-off match with Scottish champions Celtic. Both legs finished 0-0, but Kairat won on penalties to advance to the league phase.

Unsurprisingly, Kairat sit bottom of the Champions League table through seven rounds of fixtures, but they as a team and Satpaev as a budding young star have given a decent account of themselves. They were beaten 5-0 by Real Madrid in their first home match, with Kylian Mbappe eventually stealing the show, but they had great chances to break the deadlock early on and Los Blancos' defenders found it hard trying to stifle the busy Satpaev.

Along the way of this mystical European journey, Satpaev has broken numerous records. His goal against Slovenian side NK Olimpia in the first qualifying round, at the age of 16 years, 10 months and 27 days, made him the youngest Kazakh player to score in a UEFA competition, while he became the first Kazakh player to ever score in the final stage of a European game when he netted in their league-phase defeat to Copenhagen.

Meanwhile, Satpaev has already been capped seven times by the Kazakhstan senior team, and after becoming their youngest-ever debutant, he also marked his name as their youngest-ever scorer when he grabbed a goal in their remarkable 1-1 draw with Belgium in World Cup qualifying back in November.

Satpaev is unlike any Kazakh player who has ever come before him. "From the very beginning, he stood out for his hard work, discipline, and desire for perfection," part of Kairat's statement read when his transfer to Chelsea was announced.

This mental fortitude is a common thread of praise among those who have long followed Satpaev. Kazakh sports journalist Didar Kadyrov told Courrier International: "Satpaev is one of the most gifted forwards... He is a fast guy with good dribbling and acceleration, and is persistent, hardworking, and smart. He clearly understands what he needs to do next to achieve success. And this sets him apart from many others."

The Astana Times, meanwhile, wrote: "He combines speed and sound technical skills with decision-making way beyond his age."

On a technical and physical level, Satpaev is blessed with great pace and a robust build that means he can hold his own in physical battles, despite standing at just 5'9". Capable of playing on the wing as well as up front, he possesses great close control, a much-desired low centre of gravity and is comfortable with either foot (though is predominantly right-footed). Many of Satpaev's goals so far in his career have come from distance, but he also has a nose for goals at close range.

Satpaev has also been hailed as a leader among Kazakhstan's new young core, with scope for him to assume the captaincy at international level one day.

With all due respect, the Kazakhstan Premier League doesn't hold a candle to the Premier League. The step-up is so enormous that even the most optimistic of Satpaev believers concede that he won't be seen in the Chelsea first-team setup for a while.

Kadyrov further mused: "This transfer 100 percent means he's joining a top English club, which has recently chosen a new direction - working with youth. He'll have a chance to prove himself first in the academy, and then, in a few years, if he stays there, he'll progress to training with the first team, and then to games with the first team. But understand that this is a huge amount of work he needs to do. There are many factors involved: he needs to speak English and communicate effectively. A huge number of psychologists and other specialists will monitor his development and will subsequently evaluate his performances and readiness for a team like Chelsea."

In a similar vein, columnist and journalist Anuar Abdrakhmanov said to Azattyq Ryhy: "I'd like to believe that if Dastan Satpaev proves himself at the Chelsea academy level and subsequently goes on loan to, say, PSV or Brentford, and then manages to establish himself at Premier League level, then other Kazakhstani footballers will be judged by him tomorrow."

There will also be question marks over whether Satpaev could feasibly become a leading striker in England at his height. Only truly elite finishers can excel in the Premier League while standing well under six-feet tall, and he could very well end up as a winger if he can't make that adjustment.

There is an uncanny resemblance between how Satpaev plays in the Kazakhstan Premier League and a young Sergio Aguero, one of the most successful strikers under six foot who ever played the game at the highest level.

Both know how to use their bodies to their advantage, how to ghost past defenders who weren't expecting such a quick turn of pace, had opponents guessing which way they would go because their wasn't a 'weak' foot to shift them onto, and how to get so much power behind their strike without the logical space to wind up a shot.

Aguero, best known for his time at Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, became one of the world's most feared strikers due to how he showcased these skills at the top. Satpaev would do well to scale such heights, but he's at least a clear stylistic match and Chelsea can begin to think about how he could develop.

Others have compared Satpaev to Kylian Mbappe, but the similarities to Aguero, a natural No.9 rather than a converted wide forward, are far more obvious. Sure, Satpaev and Aguero are quick, but mainly over short distances, rather than making runs from deep to completely stretch defences in the way Mbappe does.

Satpaev will spend much of the 2026 Kazakh season with Kairat before at last travelling to London to join up with Chelsea in August. From there, the Blues could decide to examine him closely or ship him out on loan.

Whatever happens, Satpaev will be seen as a trendsetter in his homeland. No Kazakh player has ever played in the Premier League before, let alone for Chelsea. It's a transfer and an opportunity which has been met with excitement in that part of the world.

"They [clubs] often find young players from Brazil, Africa, and so on. It's just that when they sign a 16-year-old Kazakhstani, it seems special to us," Kadyrov added. "This doesn't happen often, so this transfer means a lot for Kazakhstani football, as it's the first time a young player from our country is going to a top league, the best championship in the world. This speaks to the potential of Kazakhstani footballers. And you could say that Dastan is the pioneer."

So that makes Satpaev a prodigy, a genius and now a pioneer. All before he's turned 18. No pressure, kid!