Chelsea have reportedly beaten London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham to a deal for Leyton Orient youngster Malik Mothersille.
That’s according to The Telegraph, cited by HITC, who claim that the Blues have won the race for the 16-year-old midfielder.
Both the Gunners and Spurs were keen on adding the teenager to their youth ranks, but it looks as if Chelsea will be Mothersille’s next destination.
The report claims that Mothersille will be part of the Academy scholars at Stamford Bridge from next season after catching the eye as part of Orient’s Under-18 side in recent months.
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Chelsea’s initial two-window transfer ban from FIFA last February was due to breaching rules about signing minors, but it seems as if the Blues are, in our eyes rightly, still willing to add to their academy ranks following the suspension.
The club are now free to sign players after having that ban lifted last month, with Frank Lampard keen to add to his first-team squad over the coming weeks.
Back to the proposed summer arrival of Mothersille. Not much is known about the youngster due to no senior experience with Orient, however, we can see why the player himself has seemingly decided to head to the Blues.
Chelsea are known for developing young stars into first-team regulars, with Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi the three highest valued academy graduates in the squad right now, as per Transfermarkt.
We feel as if the Blues’ work with previous youngsters would’ve attracted Mothersille over moves to Arsenal and Spurs, and hopefully, over time, the club can look back at this as a shrewd piece of business.
