Chelsea academy defender Josh Acheampong trained with the first-team squad this morning (Wednesday) — a sign that his exile from competitive action could be over.
As The Athletic exclusively revealed last month, Acheampong was told by the club that he would not represent any Chelsea teams because he has yet to sign a new contract. But Acheampong appears to be back in the fold after joining in training with the senior side — in front of the watching media — ahead of their Conference League match at Heidenheim on Thursday night.
Chelsea are flying to Germany on Wednesday afternoon and it remains to be seen whether he will travel with the group. However, the fact the 18-year-old participated in the session at all is a positive sign.
Chelsea opened talks over an extension with the Acheampong, whose deal expires in 2026, earlier this season. The club thought an agreement was close only for negotiations to stall.
Chelsea responded to the sudden delay by telling Acheampong he would not represent any of the youth sides, let alone Enzo Maresca’s senior team, and he has not seen any competitive action since. Maresca said last month it was “a shame” that Acheampong was out of the first-team picture and hoped a resolution could be found.
The England youth international made his first team debut against Tottenham Hotspur under Mauricio Pochettino last season and was expected to make more appearances in 2024-25.
(Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
