Whenever a new wonderkid appears in the crosshairs of Premier League clubs, West Ham United are reportedly in the mix for an ‘attacking midfielder who loves to carry the ball and create chances’, Chelsea are never too far away.
Chelsea have reportedly spent a staggering £650 million on players under the age of 21 in the Todd Boehly era alone.
Some have developed faster and made a far greater impact than others of course. For every Cole Palmer and Estevao, there are countless Strasbourg loanees and forgotten men. But the London giants’ chucking-darts-at-a-dartboard approach occasionally leaves them striking the bullseye.
So Chelsea will be hoping that Abduljelil Kamaldeen is more Estevao than Angelo Gabriel.
West Ham have already lost Emmanuel Emegha to their local rivals – the Blues using their Strasbourg connections to snap up a striker who was wanted down the road – and it appears that Chelsea are in pole position for Kamaldeen too.
All Nigeria Soccer reported back in September that West Ham United had held ‘initial talks’ with the Nigerian starlet.
But according to Ibrahim Bako, the director of the Kwara Football Academy home to arguably the nation’s most exciting teenage talent, Chelsea are the only club to have made contact thus far.
Abduljelil Kamaldeen during Argentina v Nigeria: Round Of 16 - FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025
Photo by Martín Fonseca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Ibrahim Bako suggests West Ham United have not ‘been in touch’ for Abduljelil Kamaldeen
West Ham appear to be embracing, albeit somewhat belatedly, the sort of transfer policy favoured by the likes of Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth. The three ‘Bs’ with a penchant for unearthing diamonds in the rough.
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West Ham also signed a host of rising stars from the UK and abroad – from Joel Kerr and Josh Landers to Mohamadou Kante – while reports in Italy claim that a £15.8 million bid was lodged for Lecce’s Tiago Gabriel.
Time will tell if West Ham plan to make a play for Kamaldeen before the winter window opens, though. As it stands, despite reports claiming initial talks took place, Bako confirms that the only contact has come from Stamford Bridge.
“We have had a few inquiries about the boy,” Bako says. “But only Chelsea have put forward something for him. They are the only team I can confirm has been in touch as regards Abduljelil.
“Whatever we are going to do, we will do it in the best interest of the boy to aid his development, which is always key to what we do here at Kwara Football Academy. It is about growth, development, and comfort for our players.
“That is our main objective, and we will do the same with him as we discuss with Chelsea.”
Chelsea target Kamaldeen could take a very different route to El Hadji Malick Diouf
While the aforementioned Malick Diouf has made ‘incredible’ progress in the last two years – from academy football in Senegal to the Premier League, via spells in Norway and the Czech Republic – Kamaldeen may cut out the middle man with an immediate switch to a bonafide European powerhouse.
“He is really developing at a good pace, as you saw at the FIFA U20 World Cup [where Nigeria reached the last-16, losing to Argentina],” Bako explains.
“He is a number eight, an attacking midfielder who loves to carry the ball and create chances for himself and his teammates. There are elements of his game that need improvement, but he is willing to learn and will be a great player if he stays humble and continues to work hard.
“I am sure of that.”