Yago Santiago of Tottenham Hotspur U23's breaks away from Zak Sturge of Brighton. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
Chelsea are close to completing the signing of talented defender Zak Sturge as the England U18 starlet leaves Brighton, according to the Evening Standard. The 18-year-old rejected a contract extension with the Seagulls.
Sturge has been on the radar of a number of top clubs. The 18-year-old has been touted by teams in the Premier League and The Bundesliga. But the England U18 international is set to stay in England.
The Blues have been successful in attracting the player to London. The left-back is seemingly close to playing for the Stamford Bridge side’s U23 team.
Chelsea will have to pay Brighton compensation if the 18-year-old ends up signing for the Blues. The Londoners still have to close the deal and conduct a medical but are optimistic about having Sturge at the club soon.
Chelsea is known to have a youth set-up that churns out talent. Mason Mount and Reece James are two examples who’ve come up through the ranks and established themselves. They turned into key players for us.
But many of our academy stars have ended up making a name for themselves with other teams due to a lack of opportunity at the Bridge. This needs to change if we want a more sustainable model for the future.
Tino Livramento, Tariq Lamptey, Marc Guehi, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori are just some of the names we’ve let slip through our hands. They’ve left Chelsea and have gone on to become exciting players.
We rarely allow players time to fulfil their potential, which needs to change. Hopefully, the new owners will see the academy’s value and focus a bit more on bringing players up through the youth ranks.
Sturge is a talented prospect with a bright future ahead of him. Our academy is known to be one of the best. Fans hope the 18-year-old learns his trade and breaks into the first team in a few years.
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