The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the most well run sports franchises on the planet. The MLB team is not only one of the most successful clubs in American sports, it’s also been touted as one of the most valuable franchises in the world. Taking all of this into consideration, it was a bit odd to hear that a vocal portion of Chelsea’s fanbase was questioning what life would be like under the ownership of Todd Boehly. The part-owner Los Angeles’ most successful baseball team has always been a fantastic businessman. While change is a scary thing, Boehly is doing his best to ensure the Blues supporters hardly realize there is a new regime at the helm.
The new ownership group has picked up the baton from right where Roman Abramovich left it and began to run with it. Things got off to a slow start as Boehly and Co. dealt with other pressing issues within the club, but once they set their sights on the transfer market, it was game over for opposing clubs. The Blues have already added three elite talents to their ranks in former Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, former Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and former Brighton defender Marc Cucurella. However, the club is not only planning for the present.
Chelsea is bolstering its youth ranks, as well, adding a ton of talented, young stars from around the continent. Eddie Beach, Gabriel Slonina, Omari Hutchinson and Zak Sturge have all been signed within the last few weeks to strengthen the future of the club. The Blues aren’t stopping there though. Additionally, they have serious interest in Brazilian wonderkid Endrick and Inter Milan’s Cesare Casadei. Despite all of this activity, it was the teenager that the club signed as its fourth official addition of the summer that has fans the most excited for the future.
It’s time to take a dive into the career of the Blues’ latest talented teenage signing, former Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka:
1. History
Although Chukwuemeka is known to many as an England under-19 international, he was actually born in Austria in 2003. He began his football career with Northampton Town at a young age. He moved northwest to Birmingham at the age of 12 to join Aston Villa’s academy in 2016. His progression from here on was rapid as it took the midfielder just four years to earn a professional contract with the Claret and Blue.
Chukwuemeka got his professional debut less than a year later, coming on in a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. He capped off his exciting 2020/21 campaign by winning Aston Villa’s Academy Player of the Year and winning the FA Youth Cup with the club’s under-18s. The teenager earned his first senior start in August of the same year against newly promoted Brentford.
Chukwuemeka went on to have a performance that would catapult him into the first team for 11 more Premier League matches in the 2021/22 season and an additional two games in the EFL Cup. At the end of the day, the midfielder felt as if it was in his best interest to leave Villa Park in search of more game time and an overall change of scenery.