Enzo Maresca admitted it is “a shame” that highly-rated Cobham graduate Josh Acheampong is not involved in Chelsea’s first-team squad due to the situation around his contract, and added that he hopes a resolution can be found between the defender and the club soon.
As reported by The Athletic on Wednesday, Acheampong has been told he will not feature for Chelsea’s first team or development squad until he renews his contract, which expires in 2026.
Chelsea do not want to sell the 18-year-old defender and remain optimistic that an agreement can be reached, and Maresca still believes he can be a key part of the club’s future.
“To be honest, I feel a bit of shame for Josh because I think this kind of games can be an opportunity for him,” Maresca said in a press conference ahead of Chelsea’s match against Panathinaikos in the Europa Conference League.
“I had a chat with him, personally, about three weeks ago; about his situation and the chat we had was a very good chat, a positive chat but since that moment I haven’t spoken to him again.
”As I said, it’s a shame. I think Josh potentially can become a top player. He is still 18, so still very young, so many things can change for him, but he can potentially be (a) very important thing for Chelsea.
“It’s so important for the club that our intention is not to lose him. The first thing we need to do is to find a solution for his future.
“The most important thing at this stage is to get minutes, enjoy and to play football. For him, I don’t know the people who are trying to solve the problem, if they are helping him or not. I really like Josh and I would really like to have him here with us but it is not possible.”
Three promising Cobham prospects who are included in Maresca’s 22-man squad for the trip to Athens are winger Tyrique George, midfielder Sam Rak-Sakyi and forward Shumaira Mheuka, and Chelsea’s head coach believes all three are capable of making developmental strides in the league phase of the Europa Conference League.
“They have been with us already for different sessions,” Maresca said of Rak-Sakyi and Mheuka. “Sam is a good profile, a midfielder, he can play all the midfield (roles), in between the lines. And Shim, we use him as a striker and as a winger. They are good profiles, young ones, and it will be a good experience for them to stay with us.
”We also have Tyrique (George) that is with us. More or less, like Josh, it’s good to have him with us. Hopefully we can give him some minutes, some chances, they can grow and we can give them a different experience.“
Reece James, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto have been rested ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday, while Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Ben Chilwell and Marcus Bettinelli have also remained in London since they are not registered in the club’s Europa Conference League squad.
(Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
