Chelsea star compared to GULLIT as Blues exit beckons

Cameron Smith

• 17 Jul 2023 14:07 BST
• 4 min read

Ethan Ampadu is on the verge of leaving Chelsea on a permanent deal following interest from Championship side Leeds United.

The Wales international, who can play at centre-back or in midfield, has spent the past two seasons on loan in Serie A; firstly with Venezia, before enjoying last season at Spezia.

However, he has now been linked with a permanent move to Elland Road, with the Evening Standard reporting that the Blues want a fee of €14 million (£12m) for the Welshman.

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Terms are reportedly close between the two clubs and Leeds are said to be nearing an agreement for the 22-year-old, according to The Athletic.

Leeds are yet to make their first summer signing, which means Ampadu is set to become their first arrival of the window as they prepare for life back in the second tier of English football after suffering relegation last year.

Despite joining Chelsea back in 2017, Ampadu has made just 12 senior appearances for the Blues first-team. He has been on four separate loan moves, alternating between defence and midfield, although it’s understood that he prefers playing in the middle of the park - which is where he is deployed for the Welsh national team.

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Still only 22, Ampadu has just one year left on his Chelsea contract and the west London club are understood to be keen on offloading him this summer, despite their limited options in midfield.

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo is their number one transfer target, although the Ecuadorian’s possible arrival will still leave Chelsea fairly light in the centre of the pitch, having sold Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Mason Mount, N’Golo Kante and Kai Havertz in the past six months.

Ampadu compared to Gullit

Ampadu rose through the ranks at Exeter City, and was handed his senior debut aged just 15 by Paul Tisdale.

In 2018, one year after his transfer to Chelsea, Tisdale featured on BBC 5Live and was questioned about Ampadu.

“I haven’t seen a 14-year-old as good as Ethan. I actually phoned England to make it known,” he said. “I spoke to very relevant people and said you’ve got to get hold of this chap. He’s such a good player.

“[He’s] a player’s player. I phoned England when he was 14. I said ‘I’ve just seen this chap play, he’s 14, he just played in Exeter U18s, he’s four years younger, he’s played on a dreadful pitch with awful conditions and he’s played centre forward, centre midfield, sweeper all in the space of one game. He looks like Ruud Gullit and this chap you need to get for England.’

Ampadu was soon capped by England’s U16 side, before choosing to represent Wales at international level.

“I was told they had 12 players better," Tisdale added. "They were aware of Ethan and I said well ‘this chap just thinks correctly, he acts correctly, he makes good decisions’ and I was told that he takes too few touches.

“They were looking for players who wanted to take more touches, which is actually his strength. He does things in one touch, two touch, he sees it early.”