Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will not be able to select Josh Acheampong (Image: Getty)
Chelsea have reportedly taken the ruthless decision to banish one of their most promising youth graduates from the first-team squad. The Blues are understood to have exiled Josh Acheampong from the senior squad due to an ongoing dispute with the player.
The 18-year-old signed a three-year professional contract until 2026 after making his debut against Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino last season. While he is currently third choice at right-back behind captain Reece James and Malo Gusto, Chelsea believe Acheampong can play an important role for the club in the future.
But Acheampong has only been handed one appearance by current boss Enzo Maresca, and reports suggest that the highly-rated defender is now deliberately being kept out of the first-team reckoning.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea are keen for Acheampong to commit his future to the club with a new long-term contract. Talks have begun over an extension, which would include a substantial pay rise on his current wage.
The west London club are acutely aware that some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Real Madrid, are monitoring his situation and want to avoid a long-running saga alongside reported interest from Liverpool and Newcastle.
However, there is no agreement in place yet and Stamford Bridge officials have made the brutal decision to leave Acheampong – a Cobham academy graduate – out of the squad until the situation is resolved.
Josh Acheampong, 18, has been reportedly banished from the squad (Image: Getty)
Acheampong made his professional debut as a substitute against Tottenham in February and made a strong impression in his short cameo. He was taken on the club’s pre-season tour of the USA, having been preferred to the more experienced Trevoh Chalobah, in the summer.
But the 18-year-old has featured for just 27 minutes as a substitute against Barrow in the Carabao Cup on September 24, a game many expected him to start. He has not been in the matchday squad since – nor has he featured for the Under-21s either – leading to speculation about his future.
The report claims that Acheampong’s omission is directly linked to his contract impasse and the club have told him the ‘situation will not change’ unless he extends his deal. They are also adamant he will not leave.
Chelsea’s sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart want to keep their youth starlets (Image: Getty)
Chelsea are ‘confident’ they can avoid a similar situation to Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher, who both entered the final year of their contracts before being sold to Manchester United and Atletico Madrid respectively.
Recently, sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley revealed the club rejected a substantial offer in the summer for one of their graduates – believed to be Levi Colwill. And the pair insisted youth progression is part of their vision.
“There’s a lot of misconception out there,” Winstanley and Stewart told The Telegraph. “We’ve had two debuts this year. There’s three or four more players in behind who we think we can push through this year as well that we’re keen to do.
“The manager’s on board with that, he’s aware of the players coming through. We give them opportunities when we can to make sure they’ve got that pathway.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1965636/Chelsea-wonderkid-Josh-Acheampong-banished