Everton wonderkid Ishe Samuels-Smith looks set to leave the club.
The left-back, who has represented England at the Under-17 age level, has been courted by clubs throughout his impressive development. Now it appears that Chelsea are on the verge of completing a deal worth close to £4m for the talented teenager.
The move, first reported by the Athletic, comes after a breakthrough season for the youngster.
Samuels-Smith was selected in senior matchday squads by both Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche in the last campaign, while he also continued to represent England.
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Samuels-Smith was on the brink of entering the record books last season after being named on the bench for the Carabao Cup defeat at Bournemouth in November. Aged just 16 years and 156 days at the time, he would have become the youngest player to make a senior appearance for the Blues had he made it onto the pitch.
In the end the youngster was not given that opportunity as Lampard unsuccessfully chased a way back into a game that would prove to be one of two damaging defeats on the south coast in the same week. But that was not the end of Samuels-Smith’s progress. The defender went on to have opportunities for Everton’s Under-21s while Dyche then named him on the bench for the Premier League tie with Fulham in April. The following day he was sent off for Everton U21s in the Merseyside derby.
Samuels-Smith’s departure would be a blow for an academy that, under director of football Kevin Thelwell, is undergoing an overhaul with an emphasis on creating pathways to the first team. But the fee Everton are due to receive is significant, particularly at a time when the first team squad is in desperate need of strengthening but funds are thought to be limited. While Everton’s recruitment team is looking at the position of left-back it is unlikely Samuels-Smith would have been deemed a viable option for Dyche in the short term.
