Where does 'one of Europe's most exciting talents' fit in at Chelsea?
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 4 Aug 2022 20:10 BST
- 4 min read
Chelsea have completed the signing of Aston Villa wonderkid Carney Chukwuemeka, with the Englishman joining the West London outfit for a reported fee of £20 million.
Chukwuemeka, who was an integral member of England's U19 Euros winning squad earlier in 2022, had been looking around Europe for a new challenge with his contract at Villa Park set to expire in 2023.
With competition from Barcelona, Chelsea swooped quickly and incisively to secure his services on a six-year deal.
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Chukwuemeka will turn 19 in October, but given the fee paid by Chelsea, he's being treated as a first-team player immediately. It's a huge show of faith by the club given he has started just two Premier League games.
Thomas Tuchel reportedly met with the player and convinced him to join Chelsea, which suggests he will be handed a chance to impress in the first-team. Furthermore, Chukwuemeka has been given the number 30 for the 2022-23 season, while the likes of Billy Gilmour, Ethan Ampadu and Ross Barkley haven't been handed a shirt number for the upcoming campaign.
Despite that trio set to be moved on, either on loan or permanently, due to their shirt number snub, Chukwuemeka still faces plenty of competition in midfield.
After all, he reportedly began looking for a move away from Aston Villa as he felt as though he deserved more game time in the first-team. Moving up a level to a Champions League club like Chelsea is a big step, especially for a player who wants regular minutes.
It's also a buck from the recent trend that has seen Chelsea's youngsters seek permanent moves away in order to increase their first-team exposure. That exact thing happened last summer with both Marc Guehi and Valentino Livramento.
But, Chukwuemeka has clearly bet on himself, with help from Tuchel, and believes that he will be the latest youngster to make the grade at the club, after the likes of Mason Mount and Reece James.
What has been said?
In Chelsea's official press release, new owner and interim sporting director Todd Boehly had glowing praise for the club's new signing. The American said: "Carney is one of the most exciting young players in Europe so we are really looking forward to seeing him in action at Stamford Bridge.
"We are delighted to be able to bring him to Chelsea and add such a talented young individual to our squad for the new season and beyond."
Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, co-controlling owners of Chelsea, added: "We are building for both the now and the future so signing one of the hottest teenage talents in English football fits with both those aims.
"Chelsea have shown that young potential can be fulfilled at this club and under our ownership we are determined this will continue. We are looking forward to Carney thriving here."
Where will he fit in?
Chukwuemeka is the epitome of a No.8 and his best football is certainly played in that position.
He played in a double pivot during England's U19 Euros triumph and was included in the Team of the Tournament after his stellar displays from that role. Driving from deep, Chukwuemeka was able to start frequent attacks for the Young Lions, and he was the most important member of the starting XI for England.
With elegant poise on the ball and the speed to match, Chukwuemeka should fit in Chelsea's midfield nicely, as his skillset isn't too dissimilar to either Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Mateo Kovacic.
Furthermore, with the aforementioned Gilmour, Ampadu and Barkley not given shirt numbers, it's reasonable to say that Chukwuemeka's competition for places has diminished.
N'Golo Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic and Loftus-Cheek may be ahead of him in the pecking order, but given the injury issues that plagued both Kante and Kovacic last season, he has a realistic shot at regular minutes.
While not the finished article yet, Chukwuemeka has clearly impressed Tuchel and he may well have been given certain promises about game time, which could be why he picked Chelsea over other interested clubs.
With the contracts of Jorginho and Kante expiring next summer, Chukwuemeka has every possible chance of being a key player during the 2023-24 season, so it may be a case of bidding his time this campaign before exploding in his second year at the club.
Furthermore, with Kalidou Koulibaly suggesting that Chelsea have been training with a 3-5-2 formation in pre-season, which hasn't been seen in their friendly fixtures, Chukwuemeka may have an even greater chance of appearing this season before developing ahead of next campaign.
But, no matter how much he plays, Chelsea have signed a truly incredible talent.
