Emmanuel Eboue might be considered a cult hero at Arsenal, but the former Gunner is backing his son to make a breakthrough at London rivals Chelsea.
The Ivorian defender made 214 appearances for the north London club from 2005 until his eventual departure in 2011. During that time, he managed to help Arsene Wenger's side lift an FA Cup in 2005, his first season at Highbury.
However, despite his close ties to Arsenal, Eboue elected not to enroll his son, Mathis, in their prestigious Hale End academy, which has produced the likes of Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly. He opted for Cobham instead, signing as a scholar with Chelsea after joining from Watford in 2025.
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Eboue Backing Son to Make Chelsea Breakthrough
Emmanuel Eboue celebrates after scoring the second goal for Arsenal vs Blackpool
Since signing for the west London club, Eboue has shown plenty of promise. A forward who can play across the front line, unlike his father, he's made waves for the club's under-18 side, with the 16-year-old managing three goals and one assist in 13 appearances so far across all competitions for the young Blues.
His highlights in his Chelsea U18 debut against Norwich went viral, with supporters marking him as one to watch for the future. And Eboue senior, speaking about how consistent Chelsea have been in promoting talented young players from their academy, stated that he was confident Mathis could earn minutes in the senior team in the next year.
"I’m very, very proud of Mathis, and very happy for him," he said, as per The Sun. "It doesn’t matter, for me, that he’s doing this in a Chelsea shirt, and I’m an ex-Arsenal player.
"When he was younger he was playing for Watford and doing really well there, and then one day he told me that Chelsea wanted to sign him. I said it was completely up to him what he wanted to do, and I’m just really happy with how things are going for him.
"For me, at 16, nearly 17, I think I would want to stay at the club, because you can see how much they like to use their younger players.
"So for him, I think it’s better to stay at Chelsea, because when he turns 17 very soon, they’re going to look to use him – maybe next season."
Eboue Also Impressing at International Level
While Chelsea fans will be excited about the prospect of Eboue potentially breaking into the first team, he's also managed to impress while away with England's under-16 and under-17 sides. Back in November 2025, he scored a 23-minute hat-trick for the Three Lions in a 5-2 win against the USA.
However, he could well choose to switch international allegiances should he choose to, as he is eligible to represent Ivory Coast and Belgium through his parents. But his father isn't rushing him to pick an option in the early stages of his career.
He said: "I can remember a couple of years ago when he was playing for the national team – the under-15s [England] played against the Ivory Coast, and afterwards the president of the Federation called me to tell me he’d seen my son, and thought he was very, very good.
"I was so happy to hear that, and the good thing he’s got is that he’s still able to play for England, Ivory Coast and Belgium, so he has a lot of options there later on in his career."