Latest news with #Acheampong
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chelsea boss reveals transfer stance on defensive duo amid exit speculation
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca wants to hold onto both Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah, but admits that 'anything can happen' in the summer transfer window. Acheampong has been linked with both Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund after breaking into the Chelsea senior squad last season, starting four times in the Premier League. Advertisement The 19-year-old, who can play as a right-back, wing-back and in central defence, is considered a top prospect after featuring prominently in the club's Uefa COnference League success. Chelsea boss reveals transfer stance on Acheampong and Chalobah Speaking ahead of Saturday's Club World Cup round-of-16 meeting with Benfica, Maresca expressed his desire for the teenager to remain at Stamford Bridge. 'My idea or my plan with Josh is quite clear. I think he potentially can be a top defender for this club. I feel the best plan for Josh is to be with us.' Chalobah, meanwhile, has been linked with Napoli, Inter Milan and a possible return to Crystal Palace. Chelsea seemingly wanted to offload the centre-back last summer, but sent him on loan to Palace after failing to find a buyer. He was recalled in January following an impressive spell at Selhurst Park. Advertisement 'All the players that are here with us, I don't want to lose them,' Maresca added. 'But then we said many times that when the window is open, unfortunately, anything can happen. To buy a player or to sell a player. 'Trevoh came back with us in January. If we did the Champions League spot in the top four, it's also because of Trevoh. He helped us a lot. In this moment, he played also some games here. 'He is with us. We are happy with him. Then, as I said, unfortunately, when the window is open, anything can happen, but not only for Trevoh, but for the 25 players of the squad.' Read – Newcastle and Brighton in transfer 'talks' as £50m bid for Chelsea target rejected See Also – Former Chelsea and Spurs striker set for MLS move Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok
Metro
2 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Dortmund interested in £35m Chelsea star as Jamie Gittens transfer gets closer
Chelsea are reportedly closing in on signing Jamie Gittens, while Borussia Dortmund want to buy a £35million-rated Stamford Bridge star. It is no secret that Enzo Maresca wants to bring in a new left-winger this summer with Gittens emerging as the top target. They tried to sign the 20-year-old Englishman before the Club World Cup but while personal terms have been agreed, Dortmund rejected Chelsea's £42m bid. Both club and player are determined to make the move a reality and positive talks have been held between the two sides, with Sky Sports reporting that a deal is getting closer and the transfer 'very likely'. However, any business won't take place until the conclusion of the Club World Cup with both the Blues and Dortmund through to the round-of-16. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. But it has also been reported that the Bundesliga giants have stepped up their interest in Chelsea's highly-rated teenage defender Josh Acheampong. The Independent report Inter Milan, Newcastle United and Tottenham are also eyeing up the 19-year-old who made his full Premier League debut in January. Acheampong made 12 appearances across all competitions last season, helping his boyhood club win the Conference League, with Maresca singling him out for praise on numerous occasions. Capable of playing at centre-back or right-back, he started Chelsea's latest Club World Cup game – a 3-0 win over ES Tunis on Wednesday. It is said Acheampong wants more first-team opportunities but it remains to be seen whether or not the Blues will let him leave having already rejected several loan offers. But the report adds that Chelsea could be willing to let their promising star go for £35m and could be happy to do business with Dortmund if all goes smoothly with the Gittens transfer. More Trending For now, Acheampong is hoping to feature when Chelsea take on Benfica on Saturday night in Charlotte, saying: 'It's important the manager has faith in me. It means I get to play – and I'm very happy to have played [against ES Tunis]. 'Benfica are a really big club, but every game in this competition is hard. So while we need to focus on the opponent, the most important thing is that we focus on ourselves. 'It [the Club World Cup] is really exciting. We're into the knockouts now and every single game is important. We just have to keep winning.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Tottenham told to consider £40m Liverpool star as Eberechi Eze transfer alternative MORE: Arsenal consider surprise bid for £32m Chelsea star MORE: Man Utd sent latest transfer message by Real Betis over 'complex' Antony deal
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'It was a bit of a shock, but it was good'
Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong has admitted his "shock" that manager Enzo Maresca knew him during pre-season. The Italian prepared a dossier when interviewing for the Chelsea job last summer which included an evaluation of every player in the first team and academy sides. After his appointment, Maresca called up academy players Acheampong and Tyrique George for a pre-season tour in the United States, and the pair were promoted to senior squad roles on a permanent basis in December. Asked whether he was surprised Maresca knew him, Acheampong said: "Yes. I remember the first day. I was like, 'Hi, I'm Josh', and he was like, 'I know who you are'. "So it was a bit of a shock, but it was good. He's really positive. He gives me a lot of encouragement." "When I first joined up with the team, he told me what he wants from me, what I can improve on, what I do well. "It was a good experience, being in the States, playing in big stadiums. It was kind of like the start of the journey." Maresca has repeatedly said he "loves" Acheampong, first when the club exiled the defender from the first team during contract negotiations, until he signed a new five-year deal in December. Acheampong admits he got a "bit of stick" over it, but added: "It was really good to hear, to be fair. It gave me a lot of confidence." The 19-year-old has featured in seven of Chelsea's 12 games in the Conference League this season and hopes to play a part in Wednesday's final against Real Betis in Wroclaw. He said the tournament has served as a "stepping stone into men's football", adding: "Hopefully we can go all the way."
New York Times
11-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Chelsea's Acheampong feels the love from Maresca – and this time, it's not tough
The question was about Tyrique George. Enzo Maresca was happy to engage with it and to praise his winger, but he really wanted to talk about another Chelsea teenager. 'I'm very happy first of all for the Chelsea academy because it's one of our boys from the academy so I'm very happy for him,' Maresca said of 19-year-old George in his press conference after a 3-0 win over Legia Warsaw in the first leg of their Conference League quarter-final tie on Thursday. 'He was quite good in the first half, taking responsibility. Then, second half in the middle (as a No 9), he was a bit better. Advertisement 'But the one that I fell in love (with) is Josh Acheampong because potentially, he can be a fantastic player, a top player for this club, (and) for football in general. A good player shows you they can play in different positions and do good. He was a full-back, good, midfielder, good, central defender, good, so it's not about, 'I play in that position or in that position' — if you are a good player you can be in different positions. 'Since we started, I'm in love with him but (against Legia) he showed that he can be a very good player.' Love affairs, like footballers, are rarely linear in their development. Maresca signalled his high regard for Acheampong by assessing him during Chelsea's pre-season tour of the United States, and then again by elevating him back into the first-team picture soon after his contract standoff, which had frozen him out of match action, was resolved in December. A first Premier League start followed away at Crystal Palace in early January, and Maresca promptly labelled Acheampong the best player on the pitch in Chelsea's 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park. Within 10 days, the perception of his trajectory had changed — Acheampong struggled against a rampant Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge and Maresca substituted him in the 71st minute, shortly after he had failed to contain Antoine Semenyo for the visitors' second goal in a 2-2 draw. In almost three months between that game and Thursday in Warsaw, Acheampong has been on the pitch for 55 minutes across three matches. His only start, against Copenhagen at Stamford Bridge in the Conference League round of 16 last month, ended at half-time. Maresca insisted the substitution was down to broader tactical considerations, but his choice left little room to envision a significant role for the 18-year-old in the defining stretch of Chelsea's season. Advertisement Beyond that, Acheampong's rapid rise and equally precipitous fall in the first two weeks of January lent itself to the more cynical notion that Maresca might have wanted to send a message to Chelsea about the need for defensive reinforcements in the winter market. Wesley Fofana was out and centre-back targets, most notably Palace's Marc Guehi, were being explored. Maresca would not have been the first Chelsea coach to deploy such methods. But his appreciation of Acheampong has always felt sincere, fitting neatly into his specific veneration of versatility in high-level footballers. Can you understand the game in multiple positions, and can you perform in multiple roles during a match? Acheampong showcased those qualities in abundance against Legia. Starting at right-back but operating for the most part as the right of a three-man defence in possession, his decision-making with and without the ball was almost flawless. When the opportunity arose to carry the ball forward amid a steady diet of safe possessional passes, he pushed himself through and around pressure with a progressive first touch. Chelsea's best chance of an otherwise forgettable first half came from an Acheampong surge: having driven into a crossing position on the right, he cut the ball back perfectly into the unmarked feet of Cole Palmer. When the England international's shot was smothered, the ball ran free for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who forced a flying save with a curling effort. During the second half, Maresca's substitutions pushed Acheampong into the base of midfield from defence, and the 18-year-old bounced passes unerringly to Chelsea team-mates amid the traffic. On the very rare occasions when he misread the terrain, club captain Reece James was on hand to dispense some constructive advice. It found willing ears. Advertisement 'The best thing about Josh is that he's open, he wants to learn,' Maresca added after the Legia win. ''Full-back? 'No problem, what do I have to do?'. Perfect, midfielder, 'What do I have to do?'. Good players want to play in all positions, they want to learn and Josh is doing that since we started.' Such praise is hugely encouraging for Acheampong but also a positive development for Maresca, who has not always come across as enthusiastic about Chelsea's academy talent. His touchline frustration with George has been startlingly visible at times and his comments about Chelsea's struggles to create in the first half against Copenhagen in the previous round seemed to draw a straight line to the presence of George and Shim Mheuka in the team. But George has been developing under Maresca, gaining confidence as well as knowledge. At 17, Mheuka is even younger but added more meaningful first-team minutes off the bench against Legia. Conference League football is close to an ideal proving ground given Chelsea's vast superiority over all of their opponents, and their head coach has generally found the right balance of game time. Love can be productive even when it could be called tough, and Maresca's nuanced handling of Acheampong and George may have given Chelsea two more players capable of meaningful contributions. It could even help Chelsea achieve the dual goals of a top-five Premier League finish and lifting the Conference League. Considering the stakes on both fronts, that is no small benefit.
