Chelsea held talks to sign Borussia Dortmund star Gregor Kobel. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/IKIMAGES/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea have beaten Newcastle United to the signing of Dujuan Richards, a sensational 17-year-old player from Phoenix All-Stars.
The teenage boy, who goes by the moniker “Whisper,” has been playing in Jamaica. After a successful season, Richards was called by the Newcastle Academy for a trial.
Richards, who signed a contract with Chelsea, saw Im Club Phoenix All Stars publish images of the signing to announce the news first.
He just had a successful season in which he scored 31 goals and provided 19 assists. There were rumours that other Premier League clubs, notably Newcastle, were interested.
Phoenix founder Craig Butler posted on Instagram (h/t Daily Mail), on Saturday to announce the pre-contract signing for the teenager.
”History has been made. The Phoenix All Stars Football Academy is proud to announce that Dujuan ‘Whisper’ Richards, who has been with us since he was 12-years-old, has put pen to paper and signed his pre-contract with Chelsea FC in England and will be plying his trade in the Premier League.”
Richards started playing football when he joined the Phoenix Football Academy in his hometown of Jamaica when he was just 12 years old. There, he developed into an experienced player and attracted the interest of numerous European clubs.
Due to this, he received an invitation to the Newcastle academy for a trial. The 17-year-old was on the verge of joining the Magpies before Chelsea raced in to sign him.
Chelsea have once again added a great young player who will benefit our club. His 31 goals and 19 assists in the past show that he can create and finish off chances. And once more, we were fast to seize a promising opportunity.
He still has a long way to go before earning a spot in Chelsea, but considering he is only 17 years old, the club would naturally be patient with him and assess his performance before they feel like calling for the pre-season or a friendly match.
As a result of his first call-up to the senior Jamaica side, the young player will now take part in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago. This could be the start of something special. Although let’s hope he isn’t the striker signing the first-team has been crying out for…
Jokes aside, let’s hope he gets his fair share of opportunities in the academy before making the step up to the big time.
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