Chelsea makes its first signing of the winter transfer window

There has been a lot of speculation about who Chelsea would sign first in the winter transfer window. The Blues have struggled with depth over the course of the last few weeks because of a handful of injuries, COVID-19 absences and overall fatigue. This has led to a dip in form that has seen Thomas Tuchel’s men seemingly drop out of the title race. Even though Chelsea is still in the hunt for all of the remaining side competitions (FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Champions League and Club World Cup), December was another disappointing month as far as supporters were concerned.

The winter window was therefore seen as an opportunity for the Blues to dip into the transfer market for some reinforcements. Big names like Lucas Digne and Jules Kounde have been floating around for weeks, so it naturally came as a surprise when the first 10 days of the month came and went without much noise about incomings. However, it was announced on Monday evening that Chelsea had been working in the shadows on securing the services of a talented defender, which it managed to do. The Blues’ first signing of the transfer window is Watford’s Travis Akomeah.

Chelsea surprises fans with its first signing of winter, defender Travis Akomeah

If you’ve never heard of Akomeah, you’d be forgiven as not many everyday football fans had before January 10. The 16-year-old is seen as one of the most promising defenders in England’s youth ranks. He has already been capped with England’s youth teams, although he is still technically able to be called up by the Ghanian National Team in the future. Akomeah has been sensational with Watford. His performances have attracted a number of top clubs in England, including Arsenal, Bournemouth, Brighton, Liverpool, Norwich City and of course, Chelsea.

The centerback had already made the jump to Watford’s U18 team, where he has spent a majority of this season. While Akomeah’s arrival may seem underwhelming for many Blues supporters that are expecting more from their club this transfer window, he’s a real future talent. Many have called him the best academy product to come out of Watford in the last decade. He’s still got a long way to go in his development before even getting a look into Tuchel’s first team, but now his arrival could be a huge boost to a U18 side that is currently competing for a spot atop the table. It’s unknown at this time where in the youth ranks Akomeah will land at Chelsea. He has already trained with his new teammates in the academy following his arrival from Watford though.

The Blues have had success making these types of moves for teenage prospects in recent years. Ethan Ampadu famously moved to Chelsea from Exeter City at the age of 16 and found his way into Antonio Conte’s first team rather quickly. Billy Gilmour also joined the Blues at the same age from Rangers, where he had spent the entirety of his career beforehand. Now just 20, Gilmour has already played for Chelsea 22 times over the last few seasons. The latest notable individual to make a move similar to Akomeah’s is youth defender Xavier Mbuyamba. Mbuyamba is the only one of the three aforementioned players to not yet register a first team appearance. The Dutch youngster isn’t too far off though after being named to the bench once and training with Tuchel’s side semi-regularly throughout this season so far.

There is a lot of uncertainty with young players in football and it’s important not to put too much pressure on Akomeah’s shoulders. That being said, the path into the first team has been paved by those before him. If the young English defender is able to continue putting in the performances he did in the yellow and black of the Hornets, he’s got a bright future ahead of him in Chelsea blue.

What do you make of the signing? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!