Gaël Kakuta
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Chelsea | ||
| Number | 45 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2007 | RC Lens | ||
| 2007– | Chelsea | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007– | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008– | France U17 | 5 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 August 2009 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 August 2009 | |||
Gaël Kakuta (born 21 June 1991 in Lille, France)[1] is a professional footballer, playing for Chelsea. He is a French international and has represented them at Under 17 and Under 19 level. His transfer from RC Lens in 2007 was subject to a FIFA investigation that ruled the player had breached his contract, Chelsea were found to have induced the player to do so. This resulted in an 18 month transfer ban for Chelsea and a fine of €130,000 with Kakuta being fined €780,000.[2]
Early career
He began his career at the French Ligue 1 side RC Lens as a youth player.
Chelsea
Kakuta moved to Chelsea in 2007 and became a key player for the youth team, he was voted academy player of the year after finishing as the top scorer in the youth side, finishing his first Chelsea season with 12 goals in 20 starts, this included a hat trick against Port Vale in the FA Youth Cup.[3] His second season at Chelsea saw Kakuta make 5 more appearances for the youth team as well as making the step up to the reserves, playing two games. However his season was ended by injury after the player suffered a double ankle fracture.[2]
Ban and Fine
On the 3rd of September 2009 it was announced by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber [4] that the player would be banned for 4 months and be fined €780,000 due to a breach of contract with his old club RC Lens in the summer of 2007. Chelsea will also be banned from signing any players in the next two transfer windows due to their involvement in inducing the player to break his contract at RC Lens, meaning they won't be able to trade until January 2011. Further to this they received a €130,000 fine, payable to RC Lens.[3]
International career
He is a French Youth at international level and played in the UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship final for the Under 17 team.[1] He currently plays in the Under 19 team.
References
- ^ a b "www.chelseafc.com". Chelsea Website.
- ^ a b "www.skysports.com". Sky Sports news website. Cite error: The named reference "www.skysports.com" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b "news.bbc.co.uk". BBC Sport.
- ^ "www.fifa.com". FIFA DRC Announcement.
External links
- Player Profile at Chelsea FC's official webiste
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