Retour
In terms of both incomings and outgoings, Chelsea did plenty of good business during the summer transfer window.
Morgan Rogers is already proving to be one of the signings of the season. Rogers could have been sent off against Everton last Saturday and failed to score or assist, but the attacking midfielder has made a bright start to the campaign overall.
Chelsea also did well to sell Nicolas Jackson for £65m and Andrey Santos for £50m. Neither player was going to be a key figure in Xabi Alonso’s squad this term.
However, the best thing they may have done all summer was keep Josh Acheampong.
A broken jaw is expected to keep Martinez out for 45-60 days…
According to talkSPORT, Chelsea rejected offers for Acheampong from clubs in England and Europe during the summer and United were among those who made enquiries for the young defender. Chelsea are now set to hand Acheampong a new contract.
It was one of the best decisions the Blues made during the transfer window, and they are now benefiting as a result. Alonso has been using Acheampong in the right centre-back role in his back three and he is performing well there.
In total, Acheampong has made four starts in the Premier League this season. He has failed to appear in just one match after being an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw with Hull City.
Defensively, Acheampong has been pretty solid. As per WhoScored, the 20-year-old is making 2.3 tackles per game, which is the highest average in Chelsea’s squad.
In Chelsea’s recent 2-0 victory over Everton, Acheampong was booked around the half-hour mark. The England Under-21 international was up against Jack Grealish, who is one of the best dribblers in the division, but he did not allow the Everton star to draw him into making any rash tackles after his caution and avoided a red card.
All in all, Acheampong did enough against Grealish, even if the 31-year-old was able to beat him on a couple of occasions. Alonso is profiting from starting Acheampong in the right centre-back role over Wesley Fofana, who can be overly aggressive and reckless at times.
Had the Frenchman been in Acheampong’s situation, you could easily imagine him getting sent off. Last term, Fofana was dismissed twice, including in Chelsea’s final game of the season against Sunderland.
Jorrel Hato has world-class potential and could become an elite centre-back one day. From what Acheampong has shown since breaking into the Chelsea first-team, you can put him in that category, too.