Josh Acheampong was expected to leave Chelsea in the transfer window, but his impressive performance against Liverpool has fueled hope. The Ghana international could now have a bright future in the Blues' defence.
A year ago, Acheampong's future at Stamford Bridge was still very uncertain. At the time, he was only 18 years old, entering the final 18 months of his contract and seemed unable to reach a common voice with Chelsea about a new deal.
With a series of mature players from the Cobham academy such as Conor Gallagher, Lewis Hall and Lan Maatsen leaving one after another, Acheampong seems to be the next name to part ways to help the club balance the budget.
Real Madrid and Liverpool are among the teams that are said to be interested, while Paris Saint-Germain, Dortmund, Tottenham and Newcastle are also closely monitoring the young defender's contract situation.
However, the possibility of Acheampong breaking into the first team is also doubtful, with Reece James and Malo gust both serving at right-back. This is a similar situation to the case of tariq Lamptey - another Ghana player born in London, who grew up at Cobham before leaving Chelsea to join Brighton in 2020.
Finally, Acheampong signed a new contract in December last year, in the middle of a season that was considered a turning point in his career. Under Enzo Maresca, he has not had many opportunities to play in the Premier League, but has performed well in the continental arena. The centre-back helped Chelsea win the UEFA Conference League, despite being just a substitute player who was not used in the final against Real Betis.
Acheampong has shown his versatility throughout the season, proving his quality in the Blues' defensive center. However, this past summer marked another turning point. Chelsea have many options in defense, in the context that the 19-year-old player has received attention from Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Manchester City and many other teams.
Perhaps only Chelsea - a club known for its paradoxes - can witness the scene of both being over the center-back and clearly feeling that Maresca is about to fall into a comprehensive crisis in defense.
Acheampong has chosen to stay to fight for his position and gradually affirmed his place in Maresca's plan, in the context of The Blues' defense constantly being devastated by injuries. He has played more minutes in the Premier League this season (194) than last season (169), and made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 1-0 win over Benfica.
The match against Liverpool was the biggest test of Acheampong's career up to this point. He started for the second time this season, alongside Benoit Badiashile in the center of the defense. In that context, Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana are all injured, while Trevoh Chalobah is suspended.
Despite rarely playing together, Badiashile and Acheampong played excellently. The duo neutralized Liverpool's expensive attack before both had to leave the pitch in the second half due to cramps.
The biggest challenge for Acheampong at the moment is to maintain his position in the squad after the international break. Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo and Chalobah could all return, creating fierce competition ahead of Nottingham Forest' away trip.
Another option for Maresca is to test Acheampong at right-back - where Reece James is often injured. The England international is currently struggling with hamstring problems, forcing him to withdraw from the training camp with the "Three Lions".
In the long term, fans of The Blues only hope that Acheampong will not become one of the next young talents sold by Chelsea to balance finances. He has enough qualities to reach the top, but will that peak happen at Stamford Bridge?
