Chelsea target named 'best player in the country'

Tom Weber

• Updated: 18 Oct 2024 14:31 BST
• 3 min read

Bayer Leverkusen youngster Francis Onyeka has been named Germany's best U17 talent.

The 17-year-old has been making a name for himself in the Bayer 04 youth system, impressing chiefly with his attacking contribution but also with his versatility.

Primarily an attacking midfielder, Onyeka can also feature out wide and in a more withdrawn role. The German youth international, who is also eligible for Nigeria, has scored five goals at the youth level so far in this still-young campaign.

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His exploits have not gone unnoticed by club bosses, who rate him very highly indeed. Though the teenager has yet to make his senior debut, he has been named in matchday squads three times by Xabi Alonso in 2024, most recently being an unused substitute in the DFB-Pokal.

This has, of course, also attracted the attention of other clubs in Germany and beyond. FootballTransfers exclusively revealed last month that Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is a long-time admirer of Onyeka, who already appeared on the radar of his scouts while he was still in charge of Leicester City.

Onyeka receives prestigious award

Now, the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder has received the most prestigious youth award in Germany. Onyeka has been awarded the U17 version of the gold Fritz-Walter-Medaille, handed to the biggest talent in that age group by the DFB.

The silver medal was given to Monchengladbach's Kilian Sauck and Hertha's Boris Mamuzah Lum received bronze. At the U19 level, Hoffenheim regular Tom Bischof received gold, while Dzenan Pejcinovic of Wolfsburg and Elias Baum of Frankfurt came second and third, respectively.

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Onyeka, for his part, is still under contract at Bayer Leverkusen until 2027, so the German champions will feel confident that they can keep hold of him long-term despite high-profile interest.

This award reinforces the fact that he is one of the country's biggest talents and will surely see senior minutes before long.