Exeter City should still be seething at £850k insult on current Leeds United evidence: View | OneFootball

Ethan Ampadu left Exeter City for a paltry fee, Chelsea turned a profit, but it's Leeds United who will be the big winners with their deal.

Anyone who saw Ethan Ampadu’s full debut in men's football would have been left in no doubt he was destined for the very top.

Such was his prodigious talent, former Exeter City boss Paul Tisdale alerted the English FA of his availability immediately after he saw him play for the first time as a 14-year-old with the League One side's under 18s.

The following season, at 15 years, 10 months and 26 days to be precise, the versatile teenager replaced legendary forward and Arsenal great Cliff Bastin as City’s youngest-ever player, breaking a record that had stood for over 88 years.

He played the full 90 plus extra time, standing out for those trademark dreads, composure on the ball and early signs of leadership, typified by him dishing out instructions to team-mates who were literally more than twice his age with hundreds of appearances under their belts.

The player of the match performance in the 1-0 win over Brentford sent Grecians into a frenzy, but the excitement was tempered by the fact he was only allowed to play because it was the school holidays. His GCSEs were to take priority over his football that season.

Technically, it was his full professional debut, but he was only on a youth scholarship and couldn't actually sign a pro deal until his 17th birthday.

Ampadu played 13 games for the Grecians in the 2016/17 season and, frankly, could have played all 46 league games if it had been responsible to do so.

It was some squad, that, with the likes of Ollie Watkins and David Wheeler featuring in Ampadu’s maiden senior outing.

However, the Exeter-born midfielder’s flirtation with the City first team was to be short-lived, and he left St James Park at the end of that season when his scholarship expired to join Premier League giants Chelsea.

Ethan Ampadu to Chelsea fee laughably low

City did get some cash though, thanks to the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), which prevents wonderkids like Ampadu either walking away for free or being poached at no cost by bigger clubs after being developed elsewhere.

While it is good to get some cash for what is essentially someone leaving at the end of the contract, City were awarded a frankly laughable initial fee of £850,000 by the tribunal.

Julian Tagg, who was chairman at the time, summed up the mood nicely. He said: "To say that we are disappointed is an understatement.

"Above all, we are disappointed for football as we feel this decision sends the wrong message in terms of financial reward for those owners, chairmen, managers and coaches up and down the country who are also working as hard as us to improve their clubs by producing talented home-grown players for both club and country."

The miserly nature of the fee was effectively proven by the fact Chelsea had to pay another £450,000 in adds ons that had already been triggered by the time the decision on the financial package had been decided.

It's very rare for a player so young to be featuring for club and country when only just out of school. Many players poached via tribunal don't get near their new club's first team throughout the length of their contract.

Surely, you’d think, with a young player who’s already playing regularly, there must be some consideration and acceptance of a special talent that is deserving of a larger fee.

Ethan Ampadu's loan moves

It still rankles, but off he went to Chelsea, making his first-team debut in September 2017, six days after his 17th birthday.

A few slightly odd loans followed where he hardly featured for RB Leipzig and was then thrown in the deep end as Sheffield United finished bottom of the Premier League in 2020/21.

Next up was consecutive Italian stints at Venezia and Spezia before Chelsea decided to cash in and sell to Leeds United for what looks an absolute snip at £7m, potentially rising to £10m.

City ended up getting around £2.5m in total for Ampadu, but that was including the sell-on fee and took six years to trickle through.

Ampadu has racked up 54 appearances for Wales, who he chose to represent over England, but made just 12 in all competitions for Chelsea in half a dozen seasons - one fewer than his 12 months with Exeter's men as a 15/16-year-old.

It always felt like he was purchased because the west London side knew they could turn a profit on him as he’d be available for well below market value due to the nature of the tribunal process. That has to somehow change at some point.

It didn’t feel like a good move for him at the time, and he was duly enlisted into Chelsea's army of youngsters before being farmed around on loan.

The Blues did indeed turn a nice profit on the versatile midfielder, but it’s surely Leeds who will get the best value out of the man who only turns 24 on Saturday and already has over 160 professional appearances under his belt.

The transfer fee is relatively pricey by Championship standards, but Leeds obviously have ambitions of getting back to the top flight as soon as possible and their captain will play a big role if they do - he's ultra-reliable in terms of his availability, hardly dropping a minute as Leeds finished third last season. His tactical versatility between the base of midfield and centre-back is also very impressive. The Welshman's leadership role in the wake of Liam Cooper's departure is another string to his bow.

Whether he stays at Elland Road for the rest of his career or eventually moves on for a big fee, that £7m will be money well spent by Daniel Farke and his recruitment team one way or another.