EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea to offer Eboue huge wage as tensions between Premier League academies escalate

Jacque Talbot

Updated: 8 Dec 2024 13:28 GMT
3 min read

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Man Utd, Todd Boehly, Chelsea — © IMAGO

Chelsea will offer new signing Mathis Eboue an unprecedented wage when the 15-year-old turns professional, FootballTransfers can reveal, as tensions continue to escalate among Premier League clubs over the poaching of academy players.

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The Blues confirmed the signing of the teenager from Watford earlier this week and we understand that when he reaches the age of 17, the side will offer a whopping £14,000-a-week contract to fend off competition from Manchester City, who are monitoring the youngster closely.

The highly-rated midfielder, who has three caps and one goal for England’s Under-16 side, had been playing an age group above his own at Watford, drawing the attention of several top clubs., but it was Chelsea who managed to seal the deal.

Earlier this summer, Manchester City signed Ryan McAidoo from Chelsea, marking the first time City had signed an academy player from the West London club. Liverpool, meanwhile, secured the services of Rio Ngumoh, a highly-rated winger from Chelsea’s youth ranks, in August.

Sources inform us that Chelsea were furious, banning scouts from Liverpool and Manchester United from attending their academy matches. However, City scouts were exempt from the ban, likely due to the strong ties between Chelsea and City’s staff, many of whom transitioned to Stamford Bridge in recent years.

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Chelsea’s move to secure Eboue is part of their renewed focus on youth recruitment under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. Since the 2022 takeover, the club has prioritised bringing in top young talent for both their academy and first team, with Estevão Willian among their most notable signings.

But they have decided to make the move to ban some clubs from attending their academy games. The club will now make Eboue a huge earner on his 17th birthday.