This is a syndication of the article originally published for the BBC, here.
It’s a great day to talk about Josh Acheampong.
The defender has been highly rated at Chelsea for years, but his appearances so far have largely been limited to the youth teams and to the Conference League last season, where he made his senior breakthrough.
Chelsea’s defender production line going strong
But a start and the opening goal against Nottingham Forest at the weekend have brought him to the attention of a broader audience, and his renown is only going to grow if he continues to perform at such a high level. He’s a perfect modern defender – technical, athletic, versatile, intelligent. The Chelsea academy has a well-earned reputation for producing top quality players, but it’s in defence that they excel in particular.
Why weren’t the Blues keen to replace (academy product) Levi Colwill with (academy product) Marc Guehi when the former picked up an injury in the summer? Largely because they had (academy product) Acheampong waiting in the wings. On Saturday he put in a great showing alongside (academy product) Trevoh Chalobah at the back.
When asked in the past about when the young defender will get more first chances, Enzo Maresca has pointed out that Acheampong is already more than just an emergency option – he played in league games last year when senior defenders were available, and it was the same story on Saturday. He started while Tosin Adarabioyo sat on the bench.
Acheampong faces ongoing battle for more starts
The question now is what Acheampong needs to do to become truly first choice for Maresca. Colwill will miss the whole season, Benoit Badiashile is out injured again and Wesley Fofana’s status is always in question. The 19 year old has a superb chance over the next few weeks to continue proving he should be starting even when everyone around him is fit.
On the evidence of what we’ve seen in his young career so far, we back him to take it.
Will Faulks @willfaulks
Comments
0