Nothing makes a football fan feel older than when the offspring of a star they used to watch breaks into the senior game. Supporters were shocked when Liam Delap, son of Rory - who was adored for his incredible long-throws - burst onto the scene and made a name for himself in front of goal. He started off in the Manchester City academy, but after taking a chance on himself and joining Ipswich Town, he proved himself as a quality goalscorer and was recently snapped up by Chelsea.
He's not the only son of a former Premier League star who is on the books at Stamford Bridge, though. In fact, there's one promising young star currently working his way through the ranks and edging closer to a senior debut, whose father is actually most famous for his work at one of the club's biggest rivals, Arsenal. He even signed a new contract recently and looks to have a very bright future ahead of him.
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Emmanuel Eboue's Son is at Chelsea
He's recently signed a new contract
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Despite his father spending most of his professional career with Arsenal in north London, Mathis Eboue joined the Chelsea academy from Watford at the start of 2025. He immediately made an impression on the club's staff too, as he was offered a brand-new deal and signed it in July 2025.
Emmanuel Eboue first made a name for himself at ASEC Mimosas in Ivory Coast, before eventually making his way to Beveren in Belgium and then Arsenal in 2004. He spent seven years with the Gunners and became a cult hero in England for his efforts in the shirt. The right-back didn't always have it easy, though. There were some disappointing spells and he was in and out of the team at times as he came to grips with the demands of English football.
At one point, Arsenal fans even turned on him and he was reduced to tears after they booed him following a particularly poor performance against Wigan Athletic in 2008. He bounced back, though, becoming a fan favourite and remained at the Emirates until 2011. By the time he left the Gunners, he'd played 214 times for the club, scoring 10 goals and assisting a further 20. Despite his status as a cult hero, however, his son has instead joined up with local rivals, Chelsea.
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Mathis Eboue Looks Very Promising
Video footage of his highlights have impressed
After initially developing at Watford, Eboue's son joined Chelsea at the start of 2025 and he's come along nicely at Stamford Bridge. So much so, in fact, that he was recently offered a new deal and as reported by The Sun, he signed it. While his father was a full-back, Mathis Eboue is a midfielder and looks to have a very promising future at the Blues.
A video of his highlights with the youth team so far has emerged online and he looks very promising. Below is highlights from his debut for Chelsea's U18 side against Norwich City back in March. Eboue looks calm and composed when on the ball. He had no trouble dancing past defenders and it was almost as though the ball was glued to his feet and he glided up the pitch. He's got an eye for goal too, unafraid to take aim and have a shot when he finds himself in promising positions. He's got buckets of confidence and is lethal with his left foot. Big things are expected of the youngster and Chelsea clearly have a lot of faith in him.
While his father represented the Ivory Coast national team on 79 occasions, including at multiple major international tournaments, Mathis has reportedly decided to play for England instead and has already played three times and scored once for the England U16 side. He's a very different style of player to his father, who left Arsenal in 2011 and joined Galatasaray. He spent four years with the Turkish side and played just over 100 games with the team before he signed with Sunderland.
He failed to make a single appearance for the Black Cats during his lone year in England and then swiftly retired not long after he was released by Sunderland.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 10/07/2025