Among the abundance of defensive options at Chelsea, one star has been backed for a lengthy stay in their back line.
Former Blues centre-back and talkSPORT’s Jason Cundy has eyed Josh Acheampong as the future go-to guy, despite his sporadic minutes.
The Cobham academy at Chelsea has an extensive portfolio of talent and many of their graduates have earned first-team experience.
One of those is Acheampong, who made his senior debut in 2024 and has remained around the first-team set-up ever since.
In total, he has made 31 appearances for the club, and was involved with their Conference League and Club World Cup success last season.
But starting XI selections have been inconsistent for the 19-year-old, with only six coming in the Premier League this season.
This comes as little surprise on paper amid the competition he faces at right-back from club captain Reece James and Malo Gusto.
Crystal Palace even made a bid for him on transfer deadline day, but Chelsea swiftly rejected it.
However, thanks to his versatility, Acheampong is a player who Cundy believes is certain to have a long-term future at Stamford Bridge.
When speaking about the teenager on Inside Chelsea for talkSPORT, he said: “There’s a Rolls Royce in there, for me.
“I understand he can’t play every week but the Hull game we’re playing in the FA Cup [fourth round] in a couple of weeks, that’s screaming out for Josh Acheampong to start.
“He is one of those players that can play… I saw him at right-back in the Conference League, play centre-half, centre midfield.
“He is a very comfortable, ball-playing [defender], whether it be in midfield or right-back.
“Eventually, I think he will be Chelsea’s centre-half for many years to come if he continues on the trajectory that I think he’s more than capable of doing.”
During the final days of the January transfer window, Chelsea took an interest in Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet.
However, it’s their Premier League rivals Liverpool have completed a total £60million deal and sign him during the summer.
Although France U21 star Jacquet may be a big missed opportunity, it could be a blessing in disguise for both Chelsea and Acheampong.
Josh chances boosted by rival transfer?
“Was one of the reasons that we didn’t buy a centre-half in the summer, that they wanted the likes of Josh [to play]?” Cundy asked.
“Because, you stump the growth. You bring in a centre-half who is, not that we do that, but if you were to bring in someone that goes ahead of Josh, where does his future go?
“We’ve seen a lot of players move on, [Tino] Livramento [to Southampton] for example because Reece James was there.
“He had to leave because he was never going to play at right-back, because Reece was going to be there.”
Liam Rosenior has spent less than a month as Chelsea head coach but already taken charge of seven matches.
Acheampong has featured in only three of those, with one start coming in their 5-1 FA Cup triumph over Charlton Athletic.
Whilst James continues to excel at right-back with Gusto as deputy, there may be an increased opportunity for minutes at centre-back.
And as Cundy suggested, the trip to Hull on February 13 could be the perfect chance for Acheampong to make an impression on Rosenior.
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