David Ornstein drops major update on Chelsea player 'banished from squad'
Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong has signed a new long-term contract which will commit his future to the club until 2029.
Acheampong, 18, has penned a new five-year deal at the Blues, as reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
The defender’s previous contract was set to expire in June 2026.
England youth international, Acheampong, was previously embroiled in a ‘dispute’ with the club.
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A report from The Athletic in October suggested “[Acheampong was] told he will not play for the club’s first team or development squad until he signs a new contract".
It was thought that Enzo Maresca held the teenager in high regard, making him third in the pecking order of right-backs at the west London club – behind Reece James and Malo Gusto.
But the Chelsea boss has opted for usual centre-backs Axel Disasi and Wesley Fofana at right-back instead at points.
Until last week, the player had featured just once during Maresca’s reign so far, with the appearance coming in the second half of a 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over Barrow in September.
He made his Premier League debut during Mauricio Pochettino’s time at the club, coming on as an 85th-minute substitute in a 2-0 win over Tottenham in May 2024.
It is unclear what role the player will now play in Chelsea’s squad, but given his age and inexperience, he may feature at some point during Chelsea’s FA Cup or Conference League campaigns, having already played in the 3-1 win over Astana in the competition last Thursday.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the fixture, Maresca explained how everyone at the club “loves Josh [Acheampong]”.
“With Josh, it's quite clear, we all love Josh, the club love Josh and I love Josh,” said Maresca.
“We are trying to find an agreement with the player. It's close, we are almost there.”
Despite the high-profile names that have signed for the club in recent times, back in October, co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart discussed the importance of academy graduates at the club.
“We had a significant offer for one of our academy products this summer that we absolutely chose not to take,” Winstanley said in an interview with The Telegraph.
“There’s a lot of misconception out there.
“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.
“It’s not just about PSR, it’s contractual statuses, it’s circumstances. The two players you referenced, there were contractual problems that we walked into. It’s really important for us to bring through players.”
Topics: Enzo Maresca, FA Cup, Chelsea
Luke Davies