A 14-year old starlet playing for SM Caen is attracting interest from some of the Premier League's top clubs, with Chelsea said to be leading the race for his signature, as per reports in France.
Elye Wahi, who has only just signed a new deal, scored a staggering 89 goals playing for the Under 14 and Under 15 sides last season and has since made the step up to the Under 17's, bagging a brace against PSG's youth side at the weekend.
Image: SM Caen
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He's caught the eye of Serie A giants Juventus, as well as Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Southampton and Tottenham, according to Le Parisien, though it's Chelsea who are believed to be his most likely destination.
A Premier League scout told Le Parisien, via Sport Witness, that Wahi reminds him of Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain despite playing in a different position, saying: "He's a player with a lot of potential. He reminds me of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain".
He's also drawn comparisons to compatriot and current Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante, a two-time Premier League winner and recipient of the PFA Player of the Year award last season. Wahi has been referred to as "Kante's little brother" in France, as although a completely different type of player, he is from the same area, with both having grew up in the Paris suburban area of Courcouronnes.
Image: PA
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The similarities also continue with the fact that like Kante, Wahi turned out for JS Suresnes, the same amatuer side that Chelsea and France's all-action midfielder spent time at before his career took off. And of course, Wahi is now playing for Caen, the team that Kante played at for two years before moving to Leicester City in 2015.
Piotr Wojtyna, a youth coach at JS Suresnes who worked with both players, had the following to say on comparisons between the pair:
"Elye is a phenomenon in relation to his age.
"He is able to make a difference at any time with the ball. N'Golo Kante was an enormous man with great intelligence.
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"Elye is a rough diamond that must progress on the mental side.This kid has a gift, I only hope he will not spoil it because the way is long."
Due to his age, Wahi is unable to move to a team abroad for another two years, when he turns sixteen, but it'll certainly be worth keeping tabs on his development in the next couple of years.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Football, N'Golo Kante