Todd Boehly looks to have hinted that Carney Chukwuemeka is an immediate first-team signing for Chelsea and will not leave the club on loan this summer.
The 18-year-old midfielder completed a transfer from Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge worth £15million plus £5m in add-ons on Thursday, signing a six-year contract until 2028.
Chukwuemeka’s arrival is part of a concerted youth drive by Chelsea, who have also signed the likes of Omari Hutchinson and Gabriel Slonina of late.
But while ex-Arsenal midfielder Hutchinson is expected to join Championship side Reading on loan and teenage goalkeeper Slonina has returned to Chicago Fire until January, it remains to be seen if the standout star of England’s Under-19 European Championship triumph will also be swiftly sent out to gain further experience before staking a claim for his place under Thomas Tuchel, or else be immediately considered for first-team duties.
Tuchel will inevitably reveal more on those plans on Friday, when he addresses the media in advance of Chelsea’s 2022/23 Premier League opener against Frank Lampard’s Everton at Goodison Park.
But Blues co-owner and chairman Boehly already appears to have suggested that Chukwuemeka is considered as a player for now as well as the future, joining a midfield group that already contains the likes of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
“Carney is one of the most exciting young players in Europe so we are really looking forward to seeing him in action at Stamford Bridge,” the American said.
“ We are delighted to be able to bring him to Chelsea and add such a talented young individual to our squad for the new season and beyond.”
Chelsea’s co-controlling owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano added: “We are building for both the now and the future so signing one of the hottest teenage talents in English football fits with both those aims.
“Chelsea have shown that young potential can be fulfilled at this club and under our ownership we are determined this will continue. We are looking forward to Carney thriving here.”
