There’s plenty of attention on Chelsea this summer as they look to make some progressive signings and also replace some lost experience in defence, but they’re also making moves to strengthen the youth team.
Those transfers are unlikely to yield much of an impact for a few years as the margins are so fine with the first team that playing youth prospects is too much of a gamble, but Fabrizio Romano has claimed that an England U18 international is on his way to Stamford Bridge:
Chelsea are also working on talents for the future. Agreement in place to sign English left back Zak Sturge, as he’s not signing new contract with Brighton ??????? #CFC @TheSecretScout_
The 18-year-old follows Tyler Dibling and Shumaira Mheuka to Cobham.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2022
Zak Sturge was most recently with Brighton where he was a key member of the U18 side, but he had also broken into the Premier League 2 setup which is designed for players under the age of 23 so it’s a sign that he’s able to play beyond his age bracket.
He’s also played 3 times for England at the U18 level which also suggests he’s a talented player, but time will tell if he’ll ever make it close to the first team or if this is simply a signing to bolster their youth rank numbers at this stage.