Chelsea think they have a ‘world-class prospect’ who’s only started one Premier League match

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Chelsea are extremely excited about the potential and quality of one of their young players in particular.

There’s no doubt that the Chelsea squad is one of the most exciting bunch of players in Europe, largely because there’s so much young talent with immense potential.

Enzo Maresca, the Blues manager, is the head coach that has to try gel so many youngsters together at the same time. In fairness, he’s doing a pretty good job in the first half of the season.

• READ MORE: The three Chelsea youngsters that every supporter should look out for in 2025

Chelsea consider Josh Acheampong a world-class prospect

According to The Athletic, Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong is viewed as a ‘world-class prospect’ by people inside and outside of the club.

Acheampong, who’s only aged 18, is clearly highly rated by those inside the building at Stamford Bridge. The club’s fans are beginning to see the teenager’s potential after his recent promotion from the academy into the first team, too.

The English defender made his first Premier League start in the recent 1-1 draw away to Crystal Palace.

Maresca said Acheampong was Chelsea’s best player versus Palace as he slotted seamlessly into the starting line-up as a centre-half. Interestingly, the versatile youngster can also play as a right-back, which we’ve seen in Conference League matches earlier this season.

Paul Merson thought Acheampong was “amazing” for Chelsea at the weekend, so it’ll be interesting to see how many more minutes he gets in the games ahead. We’d guess that he’ll get back-to-back starts by featuring at home to Morecambe this weekend in the FA Cup third round.

Where was Reece James aged 18?

Many people are already comparing Acheampong to Chelsea captain Reece James, someone who previously came through the club’s academy before becoming a first-team star.

James, aged 25, made the climb all the way through the age ranks with the Blues before his senior breakthrough at Stamford Bridge. The right-back also had a superb season-long loan spell with Wigan Athletic in the Championship before making his first-team debut in Chelsea colours.

It’s interesting to note where James was in his career as an 18-year-old because it puts into perspective how young Acheampong really is.

As you can see above, James didn’t make his debut in senior football until lining up for Wigan at the age of 18.

Acheampong looks mature beyond his years and it’s brilliant news that he recently signed a contract extension. He’s got such a long way to go if he wants to emulate what James has achieved in West London, but he’s off to a very promising start.