Ike Ugbo keen on forcing his way into Chelsea first-team setup
Speaking to Sport/Foot magazine (h/t Mirror), Chelsea youngster Ike Ugbo, who is currently on loan at Cercle Brugge, has claimed that he wants to force his way into the Blues’ first-team.
The 22-year-old striker has been with the Chelsea academy since 2007 and has risen through the ranks, impressing for the Under-18s as well as the Under-23s.
In 15 games for the Chelsea U-18 side, Ugbo has scored ten goals, while he has 15 strikes to his name in 34 gmaes for the U-23s. (h/t Transfermarkt)
However, he has never made a first-team appearance for us and instead, has been farmed out on loan constantly. Ugbo, till date, has had temporary stints at Barnsley, MK Dons, Scunthorpe United and Roda JC before signing for Cercle Brugge this past summer.
Since joining the Belgian outfit, Ugbo has fared quite well, racking up seven goals in 12 appearances. Cercle have an option to sign him for €5m, but the London-born centre-forward is determined to carve out a place for himself at the Bridge. (h/t Mirror)
“I’m a true Londoner and, in my eyes, Chelsea will always be the biggest club in the capital. Chelsea would be the ultimate dream. As a kid, I admired Didier Drogba and John Terry. It’s up to me to prove that I’m ready for an eventual return.”
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Under Frank Lampard we’ve seen the likes of Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Reece James grow into key first-team players at the club. And there is no reason why Ugbo can’t do that himself, if he keeps up performing on loan.
With Olivier Giroud’s contract up in the summer, we will be in need of a new centre-forward and if the 22-year-old enjoys a strong season at Cercle, the club might not have to look elsewhere.
