Chelsea make decision on Acheampong sale after falling out of favour | Football | Sport
Josh Acheampong has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea. (Image: Getty Images)
“The one that I fell in love with tonight was Josh Acheampong,” Enzo Maresca, with a beaming smile, said in April 2025 after Chelsea’s win away at Legia Warsaw. “Because, for me, potentially, he can be a fantastic player, a top player, for this club, for football in general.
“A good player shows you that he can play in different positions and he can do well. He was full-back: good, midfielder: good, central defender: good. So it’s not about, ‘yeah, I play in that position and only in that position’. If you are a good player, you can play in different positions.
“Tonight, I fall in love with Josh because, to be honest, since we started, I’m in love with him. But tonight, he showed that he can be a very good player for this club.”
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As endorsements go, it would be difficult to surpass Maresca’s glowing assessment, delivered almost exactly a year ago to the day. Since that memorable evening in Poland, however, Acheampong has featured just 28 times for Chelsea, considerably fewer than half of the 67 competitive fixtures the Blues have contested.
Bayern Munich tested the waters last summer, with the German giants making their interest in the 19-year-old defender known, only to be firmly knocked back by Chelsea.
Crystal Palace, finding themselves in dire straits following the departure of Marc Guehi, made a similar approach during the January transfer window, but once again the Blues made clear to their fellow Londoners that he was simply not for sale.
Yet since the January transfer window shut, Acheampong has appeared just eight times, with only two of those being starts. From an external perspective, Acheampong appears to be the ideal Liam Rosenior player, yet 10 of the defender’s 13 starts this campaign occurred under Maresca.
Put simply, Acheampong is not receiving the playing time required for his progression. Even on Saturday, against League One’s bottom club Port Vale, Acheampong was deployed from the substitutes’ bench. The England Under-21 international came on for a fleeting cameo but numerous supporters were disappointed not to see him in the starting XI.
Former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was a big fan of Josh Acheampong. (Image: Getty)
Despite his limited opportunities, there are no intentions for Acheampong to be offloaded in the summer transfer window.
A scarcity of match action for Acheampong means there are clubs circling, but the Blues are resolute that he is not for sale and remains a significant part of the long-term strategy.
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It feels like an age since Acheampong neutralised Alexander Isak in Chelsea’s win over Liverpool in October, or when he scored his first goal for his boyhood club in the win against Nottingham Forest a fortnight later. Next season will be pivotal for Acheampong.
Chelsea are making a centre-back their top transfer priority in the upcoming window, with the west Londoners keen to bring in an established central defender. The Blues made a move for Jeremy Jacquet in January, but he ultimately opted to put pen to paper at Liverpool.
With a centre-back widely anticipated to arrive at Stamford Bridge, serious questions remain over what this means for Acheampong’s prospects of regular first-team football.
He has deputised at right-back during his appearances with the senior side, but faces stiff competition from Malo Gusto and Reece James.
A temporary loan move could well prove the most sensible route forward for the teenage defender to keep his development on track.
