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Arsenal and Tottenham could miss out on £12m wonderkid as Premier League rivals confirm he’s close to new deal
For any Premier League club, the sight of one of your most promising youngsters joining a bitter rival – Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur, in this case – always makes for pretty unhappy viewing.
And with the teenager’s contract running down, there appeared to be a very real chance that Chelsea would find themselves contending with a situation they would have much rather avoided.
Sources informed TBR Football back in October that Chelsea were growing frustrated with Josh Acheampong’s camp in their attempts to tie him down to a new deal.
That frustration, however, went both ways. Acheampong’s representatives would argue that, with the 18-year-old right-back still overlooked Enzo Maresca at the time despite Reece James’ ongoing injury issues, why would he commit himself to a club with whom his role appeared highly uncertain?
Chelsea’s response, meanwhile, was to inform Acheampong that he would not be training or playing with the club until he signed a new deal.
With his current contract expiring in the summer of 2026, the ultimatum was simple; Either put pen to paper now, or look for a new club in the New Year.
Arsenal and Tottenham blow as Chelsea reach Josh Acheampong breakthrough
Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Brighton and Hove Albion were all watching closely. So too were Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Marseille.
Reports, via , even suggested that Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain could pursue a £12 million deal for a teenager who’s one and only Premier League appearance came in May’s 2-0 win over the aforementioned Spurs.
But Chelsea’s hardline stance – one they have taken with a number of homegrown talents in the Clearlake era – now appears to have paid of.
Blues boss Enzo Maresca confirms that Acheampong is likely to make his first senior start when Chelsea face Kazakh outfit Astana in Thursday’s Europa League clash.
Considering that Chelsea were unwilling to involve Acheampong in their senior set-up until he was willing to sign that contract, one can assume this means a breakthrough has finally been reached.
“He’s in the squad and is probably going to play from the start [against Astana],” Maresca said during his pre-match press conference. “With Josh, it’s quite clear. We all love Josh, the club loves Josh, and I love Josh.
“We are trying to find an agreement with the player. [A new contract] is close. We are almost there.”
Enzo Maresca thinks Acheampong can be ‘a top defender’
London-born and a representative of the English national team at Under 20 level, Acheampong is perhaps the most exciting of this current crop of Chelsea youngsters. His potential is evident, meanwhile, by the fact that Arsenal, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and more appeared willing to offer him the kind of assurances he was looking for at Cobham.
Assurances that, from both parties, now appear to have arrived.
“I really like Josh,” Maresca said a few months back, handing the young defender a half-hour run out during that 5-0 EFL Cup hammering of Barrow and appearing to see Acheampong as something of a project going forward.
“For me, he can potentially be a top defender in the future.
“With young players, I like to modify them a little bit. Today, they can change really quickly. They can think they are so good, or so bad, but you need to moderate [them].”