Here is a roundup of the top Chelsea news, gossip and transfer speculation that you may have missed…
Ashanti Akpan has opened up and revealed that she is very happy to have joined Newcastle United, after it was revealed this January that the midfielder has now left Cheslea on a permanent basis.
The 20-year-old midfielder first joined CHELSEA at the age of seven. During that time, she won the FA Youth Cup in 2021/22 and the FA WSL Academy Cup in 2022/23.
In March 2023, an 18-year-old Akpan made her senior debut for Chelsea, coming off the bench as a second-half substitute in a 3-1 Women’s FA Cup quarter-final victory over Reading.
However – she has failed to make the impact on the first team that she would have liked, and when Newcastle shoed an interest in getting a transfer deal done, the midfielders decision was made up and the move was made.
And after completing this transfer – the new Magpies star Akpan said: “I’m happy to be joining and I can’t wait to get started. I want to help this team to get promoted into the WSL.
“I’ve gained experience in this league, and I am excited to bring everything I’ve learnt into Newcastle now.”
Manager Tanya Oxtoby said: “Ashanti is a high-potential player who has gained good experience at this level in the last couple of seasons, and has international experience under her belt.
“She breaks up play well in the midfield, while also helping the team build the game through the thirds. Ashanti is a great character and will add to our culture, so we are really pleased to add her to our squad.”
WILSON SIGNS UP
Chelsea have now announced and revealed that Academy defender Kaiden Wilson has signed a new contract with the Blues, keeping him at the club until 2030.
The Blues posted on the club website: ‘Wilson joined CHELSEA at Under-14s level from grassroots football and has progressed through the Academy age groups, continuing his development as a defender.
‘During the 2023/24 season, Wilson was an important part of the Under-18s side which won the southern section of the Under-18 Premier League.
‘He continued his progress during the 2024/25 campaign, becoming a consistent presence at the back for our Under-21s. In December of that season, he was among a group of Academy players selected to travel with the first team for Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League fixture against Astana in Kazakhstan.
‘This season, Wilson has remained a reliable performer and has made 17 appearances across Under-21s competitions, featuring in the Premier League 2, the Premier League International Cup and the EFL Trophy.
‘Congratulations, Kaiden!’
IcChelseanews says…
Kaiden is one of the many young players that have been working hard in the youth ranks to get that contract at CHELSEA, and this new deal for the defender is massive for him and his career.
Obviously he will have dreams to play for the Blues on a regular basis, and if he is able to work hard and keep his head down, he may gets some chances in the coming seasons.
But this is some great news and we are now interested to see just how far the lad is able to go in the game.
CHELSEA SET PALMER PRICE?
Pundit Paul Maerson has come out and claimed that Chelsea have already made a decision on the future of Cole Palmer, and would be open to letting the attacker leave the club for the right price.
The 23-year-old scored 27 times in his first season at Stamford Bridge, hitting 18 during the 2024-25 campaign but has struggled to reach those heights this term.
While a chronic groin problem and a freak toe injury limited him to just three appearances before December, CHELSEA are still carefully managing Palmer’s workload having also picked up a minor thigh problem following Liam Rosenior’s appointment.
But over the past few weeks, there has been alot of speculation in the media that Chelsea will be open to letting Palmer leave the club, and although he has a massive contract, Merson has claimed that the board already have a fee in mind.
Merson says an offer of £120million would see his club happily cash in: ‘Liam Rosenior is looking after Cole Palmer quite well. But when Palmer scored the penalty against Brentford last week, I thought his celebration was a bit strange,’ Merson wrote for Sportskeeda.
‘Call me a cynic, but I noticed how he didn’t celebrate with his teammates or the fans. That was strange for me.
‘***CHELSEA*** must keep Palmer happy. But I’ve always said it, if some other club offers £120 million for Palmer, Chelsea will sell him. That is what Chelsea always do in the transfer market.
‘I’m also not happy about Chelsea playing Palmer on the right. He needs to play as a no.10 with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez or Reece James behind him. Just give him a free role.
‘When Palmer plays on the right, he’s too easy to pick up. We saw that when he went up against Antonee Robinson during the Fulham game. So why put him there?
‘It will be interesting to see what happens with Palmer in the future amid rumours of a move away from Chelsea.’
MORE BIG CHELSEA NEWS AND GOSSIP
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