18 year old could go from freeze out to first choice – once this one huge piece is in place | OneFootball

Chelsea’s team sheet for today’s game against Astana in the Conference League had plenty of interesting things to note – a first start in almost 18 months for Carney Chukwuemeka, a full debut for Sam Rak Sakyi.

But what really got Chelsea fans excited was the sight of Josh Acheampong’s name on the team sheet.

That’s not just because they want to see the academy talent in action – it’s because of what his selection represents. The situation has been manager Enzo Maresca was instructed to not select Acheampong while he was still negotiating a new contract.

That’s meant no games at youth or senior level for a couple of months for the young defender.

But the coach said in the press conference ahead of this game that he was going to pick Acheampong because he was “close to signing” a new deal, and now we can actually believe it and start to get hopeful that the youngster’s future is at Stamford Bridge.

A blurry photo of Josh Acheampong in training.

Acheampong could go from freeze out to first choice

There’s still a long way to go, and we don’t want to count our chickens before they’re hatched. Until we see Josh smiling with a pen in hand, sitting between the sporting directors, we won’t jinx it.

But it should be perfect timing for everyone, as tonight’s appearance shows. Reece James is out injured, and Malo Gusto is struggling a little bit for form. As it stands, Acheampong is our second choice right back, and he wouldn’t have to do a huge amount to displace

Call us crazy – but it really wouldn’t be totally impossible for Acheampong to use these second string appearances to force his way into the first team ahead of Gusto if the Frenchman’s form doesn’t improve.

First things first though – let’s get that contract signed.