The latest on the future of Josh Acheampong with the young Chelsea defender being linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the upcoming summer transfer window
“The one that I fell in love with tonight was Josh Acheampong,” Enzo Maresca, with a beaming smile, said in April 2025 after Chelsea’s win away at Legia Warsaw. “Because, for me, potentially, he can be a fantastic player, a top player, for this club, for football in general.
“A good player shows you that he can play in different positions and he can do well. He was full-back: good, midfielder: good, central defender: good.
“So it’s not about, ‘yeah, I play in that position and only in that position’. If you are a good player, you can play in different positions.
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“Tonight, I fall in love with Josh because, to be honest, since we started, I’m in love with him. But tonight, he showed that he can be a very good player for this club.”
As far as endorsements go, you are not going to get much better than Maresca’s, incidentally, almost a year to the day. Since that night in Poland, however, Acheampong has played 28 times for Chelsea – way less than half of the 67 competitive games the Blues have played.
Bayern Munich tried their luck last summer, with the German champions expressing their interest in the 19-year-old defender, only for it to be rebuffed by Chelsea. Crystal Palace, in a desperate situation after the sale of Marc Guehi, tried similar in the January transfer window but once again the Blues told their London rivals he is not available.
Yet since the closure of the January window, Acheampong has featured only eight times – and only two of them have come from the start. From the outside, Acheampong looks to be the perfect Liam Rosenior player, yet 10 of the defender’s 13 starts this season came when Maresca was in charge (albeit a few were in the early rounds of cup competitions against lower league sides).
Simply put, Acheampong is not getting the minutes he needs for his development. Even on Saturday, against League One’s rock-bottom team Port Vale, Acheampong was used from the bench. The England Under-21 international came off the bench for a brief cameo appearance but many supporters were disappointed not to see him from the start.
Despite his lack of minutes, club sources told football.london this week that there are no plans for Acheampong to be sold in the summer transfer window. A shortage of game time for Acheampong means there are clubs sniffing around but the Blues are adamant he is not for sale and remains a huge part of the long-term vision.
It seems a long time ago since Acheampong pocketed Alexander Isak in Chelsea’s win over Liverpool in October, or when he scored his first goal for his boyhood club in the victory over Nottingham Forest a couple of weeks later. Next season will be crucial for Acheampong and that is what makes this summer equally significant.
Chelsea are prioritising signing a centre-back in the upcoming transfer window, football.london understands, with the west Londoners wanting to add a starting-level central defender to their ranks. The Blues tried for Jeremy Jacquet in January but he ended up agreeing a deal to sign for Liverpool.
With a centre-back very much expected to arrive at Stamford Bridge, where does this leave Acheampong in terms of his playing time? Logic would suggest his minutes will become even more limited. He has filled in at right-back during his time with the first team, but with Malo Gusto and Reece James as options, there is fierce competition for that spot in the team.
A loan may be the best option for the teenage defender in order for him to continue his development. The 2024/25 and 25/26 campaigns have been for embedding Acheampong into the first-team environment – even though some believe that process has gone on too long – meaning next season has to be the one where the shackles come off.
