Chelsea has completed the signing of teenage midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu.
The 19-year-old joins on a seven-year contract, with a club option of a
further year. He has moved from his hometown club Rennes, for whom he was a
regular last season as they finished fourth in France’s Ligue 1 and made the
knockout stage of the Europa League.
Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: ‘We’re
delighted Lesley is joining Chelsea. He is an impressive young player who has
already made his mark in Ligue 1. He has a huge amount of potential and we
know he is going to continue to develop and improve. We are pleased that he
has joined us in the U.S and that he will be able to integrate with the squad
quickly.’
Ugochukwu has quickly built a reputation as a ball-winning midfielder and a
good user of possession. He joined the Rennes youth system at eight years old
and made his senior debut just after his 17th birthday. He became the club’s
fourth-youngest debutant at the time.
His first Ligue 1 start came a fortnight later against Paris Saint-Germain;
Ugochukwu impressed playing against Neymar that night. Earlier that season he
had been on the bench when the Brittany club travelled to Stamford Bridge in
the Champions League.
Ugochukwu, a France Under-19 international, has established himself as a
regular with Rennes over the past two seasons and leaves having made 67
appearances.
Welcome to Chelsea, Lesley!
https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/ugochukwu-becomes-a-blue