Chelsea have introduced the signing of midfielder Mathis Amougou from Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne, nearly a day after the shut of the switch window.
The deal for Amougou, a 19-year-old France youth worldwide, got here as a shock for a lot of when information of the transfer broke on Monday afternoon. Saint-Etienne’s academy graduate was an everyday for the top-flight workforce firstly of the season after making his debut within the second division final time period, however has been relegated to the function of substitute since October.
Amougou sat out Saint-Etienne’s 4-1 defeat to Lille on Saturday solely maybe with this impending transfer to Stamford Bridge in thoughts.
Chelsea have not confirmed {the teenager}’s switch charge, however a number of shops report it to be within the area of €15m (£12.4m) – representing the membership’s first everlasting acquisition of the winter window. The Blues have communicated, nonetheless, that Amougou will start coaching with the first-team squad and won’t be heading to sister membership Strasbourg, as had been speculated.
“I am very glad,” Amougou informed membership channels. “It is an honour for me to signal for such a giant membership like Chelsea. They consider in younger gamers and the method they’ve in place to develop us is incredible.”
Whether or not the France Underneath-19 worldwide can break right into a midfield filled with two gamers who price in extra of £100m in addition to Cole Palmer, stays to be seen.
The Blues could not have added as many names as maybe expended after being linked with the likes of Alejandro Garnacho for a lot of the window, however they did sanction the departures of Cesare Casadei and Renato Veiga to the Turin-based duo of Torino and Juventus, respectively. These exits open up room within the fringes of the membership’s squad, the place gamers are given common recreation time within the Europa Convention League and home cup competitions.
Amougou is in want of senior minutes in no matter competitors he can get them. The proficient teen has clocked up lower than 1,000 for Saint-Etienne throughout his whole profession. For comparability, Wesley Fofana – one other product of the French membership’s academy – has amassed extra recreation time this season alone regardless of extreme harm points.
