Who is Josh Acheampong? Meet the Chelsea wonderkid who made first Premier League start vs Crystal Palace

Add as preferred source on Google

Josh Acheampong is a Chelsea academy graduate who made his first Premier League start in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Acheampong made his first team debut as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Tottenham in February 2024 but that was his only senior appearance last season.

That has all changed as the England Under-20 international is now part of Enzo Maresca’s squad at Stamford Bridge.

Acheampong played 27 minutes in the EFL Cup against Barrow but, more importantly, started twice in the UEFA Conference League before his impressive performance against Palace.

He will also likely feature against Morecambe in the FA Cup this weekend, so The Chelsea Chronicle tells you everything you need to know about him below.

• READ MORE: Who is Landon Emenalo? The Chelsea academy prospect who is former technical director Michael Emenalo’s son

Profile

Josh Acheampong age

Joshua Kofi Acheampong was born in London, England on May 5, 2006. He joined Chelsea’s academy as an Under-8.

Josh Acheampong height

Acheampong is six feet, one inch tall (1.85 metres). He is one centimetre shorter than both Cesare Casadei and Wesley Fofana.

Josh Acheampong position

Acheampong can play as a centre-back or right-back. He played the former against Astana and Crystal Palace and the latter against Barrow and Shamrock Rovers.

Career

Josh Acheampong stats

Acheampong has made four appearances for Chelsea across three competitions: Premier League, Conference League and EFL Cup.

The 18-year-old has played 297 minutes of senior football for the Blues so far, with no goals, assists or yellow cards to his name. He should have scored against Palace.

Josh Acheampong transfer value

Acheampong has a transfer value of £830k, according to Transfermarkt. His value is significantly lower than most of Chelsea’s senior players but that is to be expected.

For context, Alfie Gilchrist only broke into the Blues’ first team last season and is already reportedly worth £4.57 million.

Josh Acheampong Real Madrid

Transfer rumours in the summer suggested Acheampong would leave the West London club.

Both Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain were willing to spend around £12.5m to lure the defender away from Stamford Bridge but he has since signed a contract extension.

Josh Acheampong EA Sports FC

Acheampong has a current rating of 64 and a potential rating of 83 in EA Sports FC 25. His best attributes include sprint speed (77), jumping (74) and strength (73).

If the defender continues to impress throughout the 2024/25 season, his overall rating should be upgraded to around 70 when the new game comes out in Autumn.

• READ MORE: Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and the five most underrated Chelsea players in EA Sports FC 25

Social Media

Josh Acheampong Instagram

You can find Acheampong on Instagram under the handle @joshkofi2. He has over 125,000 followers, including Reece James, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke.

Josh Acheampong Twitter

Acheampong does not have a public Twitter/X account.