Latest news with #Acheampong
Metro
3 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Chelsea respond as Man City join race to sign Enzo Maresca favourite
Manchester City are among a number of Premier League clubs reportedly interested in signing one of Enzo Maresca's favourite Chelsea stars. Chelsea have gone into the 2025/26 season as one of the favourites for the Premier League title following their Club World Cup triumph in the summer. But they haven't got off to the best of starts, being held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace in their opening game on Sunday, with the Eagles arguably the better side at Stamford Bridge. While they have spent another £241million on new signings, Maresca is dealing with an injury crisis in defence, with Levi Colwill expected to miss the majority of the season due to a serious ACL injury, while Tosin Adarabioyo is also sidelined. Trevoh Chalobah and teenager Josh Acheampong started against Palace, with the latter impressively holding his own against Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. This was only the 19-year-old's third Premier League start but the centre-back, who can also play right-back, is quickly becoming a fan-favourite and has even caught the eye of Chelsea's rivals. Acheampong was targeted by Real Madrid last year before he penned a five-year contract with the Blues, while Maresca confirmed over the summer that Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle had made enquiries over the defender. Now, according to The Guardian, Man City rate the player very highly but are yet to make a formal move, while Palace, Bournemouth and West Ham also keen on the England U20 star. It is said that Chelsea have already rejected a loan offer from Bournemouth and are expected to rebuff any other transfer approaches before deadline day on September 1. It is perhaps no surprise to see the Blues adopt this stance given how much Maresca has praised the youngster over the past year, even admitting in April that he had 'fallen in love' with the player. Speaking after the draw with Palace, the head coach said: 'Josh was very good. We showed our confidence in Josh last year as he played some games for us. 'Today he did very well, he dealt with Mateta very well, so overall he had a good game.' Acheampong made 13 senior appearances last season, helping Chelsea win the Club World Cup and Conference League. 87 passes 94% pass accuracy Most ground duels won (6) Most aerial won (5) Most tackles won (2) It is not known whether he would be interested in leaving Stamford Bridge but no doubt he will want guarantees over playing time, something that Chelsea should be able to offer given their defensive injuries. More Trending In addition to Colwill and Tosin, Benoit Badiashile is also sidelined and while Wesley Fofana was on the bench on Sunday, his fitness is always a concern. 'He [Tosin] had a physical problem, we don't know for how long,' Maresca added. 'Wes was on the bench, but he was just on the bench to be with us. The plan was not to get any minutes. And now, hopefully for the next one, we can start to use Wes for more minutes.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: RB Leipzig fire warning to Chelsea over €70m Xavi Simons transfer deal MORE: Aston Villa in talks to sign Chelsea star with asking price set MORE: Arsenal defeat shows Manchester United need a new goalkeeper if they are to challenge for Europe this season
Evening Standard
3 days ago
- Sport
- Evening Standard
Chelsea's transfer decision over new centre-back could present opportunity for Josh Acheampong
Of course, there were still times when the French striker showed the young centre-back that he still has some bulking out to do - like when Mateta held him off, swivelled, and volleyed on goal from distance in the second half - yet Acheampong was not bullied and was as deserving of Chelsea's eventual clean-sheet as anyone.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Watching Chelsea's Josh Acheampong closely to see if he can fill Maresca's problem position
Eight months ago, when Josh Acheampong made a surprise first Premier League start against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Jean-Philippe Mateta was not really his responsibility. Mateta tried at times to isolate the teenager when attempting to connect with long balls aimed in his direction, but as the middle defender in Enzo Maresca's back three in possession that day, Levi Colwill was the Frenchman's primary marker. Acheampong could focus on defending the space to the right of his fellow Cobham graduate and behind Malo Gusto. He did it very well. Advertisement 'All the players, for me, were good but if I had to decide for one, I think for sure, Josh was our best player because of his age, it was his first game,' Maresca said of Acheampong at the time. Sunday's goalless stalemate with Palace at Stamford Bridge was a different challenge, a ramping-up of the difficulty in these early chapters of Acheampong's career. Shorn of both Colwill to an ACL injury and Tosin Adarabioyo to what Maresca would only describe as a 'physical problem', Chelsea needed Acheampong to do Colwill's job off the ball and on it — a double brief that, considering the impressive solidity of Palace and the particular attributes of Mateta, might have been the most difficult individual assignment on the pitch. Acheampong never gives the impression of being fazed and signalled his readiness, as well as his intent, inside the first minute. Palace's narrow three-man attacking line closed in on Chelsea's defenders as they exchanged sideways passes until Acheampong received the ball, moving to his left with Mateta and Ismaila Sarr both closing in and no obvious forward passing options. Rather than going back to Robert Sanchez, he deftly dribbled between them, waited to commit Palace's second line of pressure, and then sent a pass out to Reece James on the right flank before taking the contact. Acheampong is not yet the passer Colwill is. That is no criticism; Colwill is exceptional at identifying and rattling low passes through the middle of the pitch, carving through opposition lines and finding the feet of Cole Palmer and others in more advanced positions. His rare vision and technique provide a vital gear change to Chelsea's possession play. The baseline stats for Acheampong in possession against Palace make for impressive reading: 99 touches (second only to Trevoh Chalobah among Chelsea players) and 80 of 86 passes completed in open play. But, also in part due to the visitors' positional intelligence and discipline in their defensive shell, he only completed four progressive passes. Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Joao Pedro had little to work with in the final third. One thing that Acheampong can already do arguably better than any of Chelsea's other defenders is break the first line of opposition pressure with a dribble rather than a pass. Mateta grew grimly accustomed to watching the youngster glide past him. On one occasion around the hour mark, Acheampong carried the ball into the Palace half and delayed for a crucial split second to enable the passing angle he wanted, out to Pedro Neto on the left touchline, to open up. Advertisement Acheampong only played two bad passes in the game, even if both were memorable and nearly disastrous. The first, an attempted progressive pass towards the right intercepted by Eberechi Eze in the 11th minute, initiated the sequence that ended with Palace's star hammering in a free kick through Sanchez, only for Chelsea to be saved by a VAR review and the obscure Law 13. The second, a sideways pass hit behind Moises Caicedo that also fell for Eze in the 69th minute, set up a three-on-two break for Palace that Eze scuppered by immediately attempting a ludicrous shot from 40 yards. Two bad passes out of 86 is a good day on the ball by any estimation, but the reality of this position in Chelsea's system is that any time possession is lost carries grave risk. Maresca insisted on Friday that Colwill and Tosin are the only two defenders in his squad capable of playing as the middle defender and primary ball progressor in his back three. Acheampong's performance against Palace may not have changed his mind, but there were also plenty of flashes of the huge talent that has earned the 19-year-old this opportunity and underpin his case to win many more. Mateta's blend of relentless activity, impressive mobility and smart physicality make him one of the toughest pure No 9s in the Premier League to play against, and he inevitably had moments of dominance when tussling with Acheampong. One of those moments ended up yielding the flashbulb sequence of the Cobham graduate's performance on Sunday. It played out in the 32nd minute, with Mateta holding off Acheampong, bringing down a long ball out of the Palace defence and hitting it ahead of Daniel Munoz's overlapping run on the right. Undeterred by losing the initial engagement, Acheampong pivoted into a sprint and neutralised Munoz with a brilliantly firm but fair sliding tackle. He then got up quickly enough to beat Mateta to the loose ball. The Frenchman clattered into him and was booked. 'Very good,' Maresca said in his post-match press conference when asked about Acheampong's performance. 'I already showed confidence in Josh last year, he played already some games. He did very well, he dealt with Mateta very good. Overall, he did a good game.' Maresca gave no timeframe on Tosin's injury, and when asked whether he is concerned about not having a centre-back to play the Colwill role, his reply was curt: 'I already spoke about that.' Advertisement Concerns about Chelsea's ability to build their possession without Colwill — and perhaps also Tosin — for an extended period of time will not be eased by Sunday's performance. Acheampong may not be a perfect solution to that particular problem position right now, and it is too early to say if he can develop into it. But he supplied further evidence here that he is ready to play in the Premier League this season, and do so regularly. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Rhyl Journal
7 days ago
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
Death of girl left alone by fake ID worker was unlawful, jury inquest concludes
Ruth Szymankiewicz was being treated for an eating disorder at Huntercombe Hospital in Berkshire and had been placed under strict one-to-one observation when on February 12 2022, she was left on her own by the member of staff responsible for watching her. The 14-year-old was able to shut herself in her bedroom at the hospital's psychiatric intensive care unit – also known as Thames ward – where she self-harmed. She died two days later at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. On Thursday, an inquest jury sitting at Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court in Beaconsfield returned a conclusion of unlawful killing. 'Ruth was not prevented from accessing the restricted material which could be used to self-harm,' the jury foreman told the hearing. 'Ruth was not prevented from accessing harmful material on the internet. 'Ruth's care pathway … was insufficient to allow improvement for discharge. 'From Ruth's admission to Thames ward, her responsible clinician deemed the ward to be neither suitable nor conducive to her recovery. 'Ruth's parents were not given adequate information about the appeal process, and refusal rights.' Jurors could be seen crying as they recorded their conclusion, as well as the coroner and members of the family. The agency worker responsible for watching Ms Szymankiewicz – a man then known as Ebo Acheampong – had never worked in a psychiatric hospital environment before coming to Huntercombe on February 12 2022 for his first shift. A police investigation later found he was hired by the Platinum agency – which supplied staff for Huntercombe Hospital – under a false name. Mr Acheampong never returned to work at the hospital following the incident and fled the UK for Ghana. The court heard the ward was missing at least half of its staff on the day Ms Szymankiewicz, who had self harmed several times in the past, was left unsupervised. Mr Acheampong was originally working on a different ward, but was asked to join the team on Thames ward because they were so short-staffed nurses could not go on breaks, jurors were previously told. A risk management form known as a 'Datix incident' had been filed on the day by Michelle Hancey – a support worker with 18 years' experience at Huntercombe – who raised concerns the Thames ward team would 'fail to monitor patients on prescribed special observation because of staff shortage'. During the inquest, jurors were shown CCTV footage of the moment Mr Acheampong left Ms Szymankiewicz unsupervised while she sat in the ward's lounge watching TV, enabling her to leave the room. She had been placed on the 'level three observation' plan following earlier incidents of self-harm – meaning she had to be kept within eyesight at all times. In the footage, Mr Acheampong can be seen leaving the room repeatedly – at first only for seconds at a time, then for two minutes – prompting the teenager to walk up to the door and look into the lobby, seemingly waiting for the opportunity to leave the room. She was last captured on CCTV walking out of the ward's day room 'completely on her own' before going straight to her bedroom and closing the door behind her, coroner Ian Wade KC told the inquest. Around 15 minutes passed before a nurse discovered the teenage girl and raised the alarm. Huntercombe Hospital had been inspected twice by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) prior to the incident, the inquest previously heard. It was rated as 'overall inadequate' in a CQC report dated February 2021. Active Care Group, which owned Huntercombe at the time of Ms Szymankiewicz's death, has since closed the facility.
South Wales Guardian
7 days ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Death of girl left alone by fake ID worker was unlawful, jury inquest concludes
Ruth Szymankiewicz was being treated for an eating disorder at Huntercombe Hospital in Berkshire and had been placed under strict one-to-one observation when on February 12 2022, she was left on her own by the member of staff responsible for watching her. The 14-year-old was able to shut herself in her bedroom at the hospital's psychiatric intensive care unit – also known as Thames ward – where she self-harmed. She died two days later at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. On Thursday, an inquest jury sitting at Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court in Beaconsfield returned a conclusion of unlawful killing. 'Ruth was not prevented from accessing the restricted material which could be used to self-harm,' the jury foreman told the hearing. 'Ruth was not prevented from accessing harmful material on the internet. 'Ruth's care pathway … was insufficient to allow improvement for discharge. 'From Ruth's admission to Thames ward, her responsible clinician deemed the ward to be neither suitable nor conducive to her recovery. 'Ruth's parents were not given adequate information about the appeal process, and refusal rights.' Jurors could be seen crying as they recorded their conclusion, as well as the coroner and members of the family. The agency worker responsible for watching Ms Szymankiewicz – a man then known as Ebo Acheampong – had never worked in a psychiatric hospital environment before coming to Huntercombe on February 12 2022 for his first shift. A police investigation later found he was hired by the Platinum agency – which supplied staff for Huntercombe Hospital – under a false name. Mr Acheampong never returned to work at the hospital following the incident and fled the UK for Ghana. The court heard the ward was missing at least half of its staff on the day Ms Szymankiewicz, who had self harmed several times in the past, was left unsupervised. Mr Acheampong was originally working on a different ward, but was asked to join the team on Thames ward because they were so short-staffed nurses could not go on breaks, jurors were previously told. A risk management form known as a 'Datix incident' had been filed on the day by Michelle Hancey – a support worker with 18 years' experience at Huntercombe – who raised concerns the Thames ward team would 'fail to monitor patients on prescribed special observation because of staff shortage'. During the inquest, jurors were shown CCTV footage of the moment Mr Acheampong left Ms Szymankiewicz unsupervised while she sat in the ward's lounge watching TV, enabling her to leave the room. She had been placed on the 'level three observation' plan following earlier incidents of self-harm – meaning she had to be kept within eyesight at all times. In the footage, Mr Acheampong can be seen leaving the room repeatedly – at first only for seconds at a time, then for two minutes – prompting the teenager to walk up to the door and look into the lobby, seemingly waiting for the opportunity to leave the room. She was last captured on CCTV walking out of the ward's day room 'completely on her own' before going straight to her bedroom and closing the door behind her, coroner Ian Wade KC told the inquest. Around 15 minutes passed before a nurse discovered the teenage girl and raised the alarm. Huntercombe Hospital had been inspected twice by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) prior to the incident, the inquest previously heard. It was rated as 'overall inadequate' in a CQC report dated February 2021. Active Care Group, which owned Huntercombe at the time of Ms Szymankiewicz's death, has since closed the facility.
