Xavier Mbuyamba shared his delight on social media, as his transfer to Chelsea was completed on Thursday.
The Blues confirmed (official website) that the 18-year-old has signed a professional deal at Stamford Bridge and has committed his future with the club at least until 2023.
Mbuyamba is initially joining up with the Chelsea development squad to prepare for the new 2020/21 season and he arrives after leaving Spanish giants Barcelona in the summer.
The highly-rated Dutch centre-back has been compared to Liverpool superstar Virgil Van Dijk, who is regarded by many as the best defender in world football at this moment.
Mbuyamba has now made the move to London for the next step of his career and voiced his excitement about his transfer.
“Very happy to announce that I’m a blue now. Ready to work hard and make the club proud,” the new Chelsea youngster wrote on his Instagram.
Chelsea youngsters can take huge encouragement from the last 12 months at the club, as senior manager Frank Lampard has shown there is certainly a path into the first-team for youngsters if they are good enough.
Billy Gilmour is the prime example of a rising star earning senior minutes last season and there has been a real shift towards making the most of the club’s talented youth system.
Mbuyamba has previously experienced first-team football before on a small scale, playing 11 games for Dutch second-tier side MVV Maastricht earlier in his career and also spent a year in Barcelona’s academy.
Only time will tell how far the Chelsea fans are off from seeing him in action with the main group, but he’s a rising star worth watching in the academy team and there is a lot of expectation around the 6ft 5in centre-back.
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