Chizaram Ezenwata after signing his new deal. Photo: Chelsea FC

Chelsea have rewarded Chizaram Ezenwata for a prolific spell in the academy with a new contract, and the 18-year-old Cobham Next Gen striker is now committed to Stamford Bridge until at least June 2029.

Goals earned the forward a longer deal

The club announced the extension on its official website, and the numbers behind it are hard to argue with. Playing for the Under-18s last season, Ezenwata found the net 15 times and set up seven more goals across 21 appearances.

That return was enough to earn him a nomination for the Under-18 Premier League’s Player of the Season prize. He has since moved up to become a regular part of the Next Gen group, the level where Chelsea’s best academy prospects test themselves in Premier League 2 and against senior sides in the EFL Trophy.

He made his Premier League 2 bow against Manchester City back in 2024/25, so the step up to the older age group has been building for some time.

From Charlton to Cobham

Ezenwata made the move to Cobham from Charlton Athletic as an Under-15 player. The club has highlighted his quick feet in tight areas and his composure in front of goal as the qualities that marked him out as he worked through the age groups.

This is the second contract milestone in a short space of time. He agreed scholarship terms in July 2025 and then put pen to paper on his first professional deal during the 2025/26 campaign, a season in which he also made his UEFA Youth League debut in a 3-1 win over Atalanta and scored the winner against Brentford in the FA Youth Cup.

A regular for England’s Young Lions

His club form has carried over to international football. Ezenwata travelled with England to the Under-17 World Cup, held in Qatar, where he hit a hat-trick as the Young Lions thrashed Haiti 8-1 in the group stage.

He has kept that going this autumn. Across the September and October international windows he scored three goals in three matches for England’s Under-19s, and that run of form makes the timing of the new deal easy to understand.

Another academy talent committed

The announcement comes only days after academy goalkeeper Freddy Bernal also signed a new contract running to 2029. Both players are 18 and both have come through the Cobham system, which suggests the club is moving early to protect the next wave of home-grown players.

For now, Ezenwata’s focus will be on adding to his goal tally with Next Gen. The first team has bigger matters on its mind this week, with Xabi Alonso’s side heading to Anfield in the Carabao Cup, but a striker who keeps scoring at every level he plays will always be noticed by the senior coaching staff.

In other news…

Alonso has confirmed that Mike Penders will keep his place in goal against Liverpool after the Tottenham defeat.