“It’s a bad situation” – Enzo Maresca admits “top player” from academy would have got first team minutes tomorrow | OneFootball

Just when things were going pretty well and Chelsea’s sporting directors were growing their popularity, the whole situation around Josh Acheampong has come to the surface and really disrupted things.

The 18 year old academy gem was just starting to make his breakthrough, and made his senior debut against Barrow in the EFL Cup. But the Athletic’s report from yesterday was that the club won’t use him again at senior or youth level until he signs a new contract, and speaking in his press conference today, Enzo Maresca pretty much confirmed that.

Josh Acheampong plays against Barrow. (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Chelsea boss admits he’s powerless to play Acheampong

Maresca’s answer to a question about Acheampong was very interesting, very revealing, and slightly tragic:

“No, to be honest. I feel a bit shame for Josh because this kind of game could be an opportunity for him. I had a chat with him about three weeks ago about his situation and the chat we had was very good but since that moment I haven’t spoke to him again,” the manager explained.

“It’s a shame because I really think Josh can potentially be a top player. He is still 18 so very young, many things can change. For the future, he can be very important for Chelsea. It’s so important for the club that is our intention is not to use him but the first thing we need to do is to find a solution for his contract, for his future. It’s a bad situation for him at the moment. I don’t know if the people are helping him or not. I really like Josh and I would like to have him here with us but it is not possible.”

It sounds like Maresca is pretty frustrated, and it also sounds like he’s blaming the player’s representatives too. This is a mess, and it looks like it’s going to get messier.