Chelsea’s up-and-coming defender, Josh Acheampong, has been told he will play for the first team or development squad when he agrees to a new contract.
Negotiations for extending the current deal, which runs until 2026, are underway, but an agreement has yet to be reached.
During the summer, Acheampong was considered Chelsea’s third-choice right back, with Reece James and Malo Gusto ahead of him.
Their confidence in Acheampong’s abilities led to their indifference towards Pedro Lima from Sport Recife.
Nevertheless, he was not included in the squad for the matches against Bournemouth and West Ham last month, even though James and Gusto were injured. Instead, Enzo Maresca decided to deploy Axel Disasi and Wesley Fofana, typically center backs, as right backs.
Despite making his debut under Mauricio Pochettino against Tottenham in February and participating in the pre-season tour of the USA, Acheampong has had minimal game time this season. He played only once for 27 minutes in the Carabao Cup against Barrow under Maresca.
It’s quite astonishing that he hasn’t been part of the Under-21s team since September 15, despite starting in four initial five games. The stalled contract discussions are the cause of his absence from the squad.
Despite reports of other clubs being interested in a transfer, Chelsea hopes to resolve the situation quickly. Acheampong, born in London, is of Ghanaian descent and recently represented England’s Under-20 team.