Chelsea have finally completed their first signing of the January transfer window, and it comes in the form of teenage defender Yisa Alao from cash-strapped Sheffield Wednesday.
In November, Alao turned just 17. Yet, he’s already played five times for Sheffield Wednesday’s senior side this season and been involved in 16 of the rock-bottom Championship side’s 29 league games so far.
Certainly, there are a handful of youngsters at Hillsborough who have been linked with the exit door. Two reasons: the Owls have had to rely on youngsters amid the crisis, and they need to raise some cash.
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Well, Alao has now left Wednesday and completed a move to Chelsea where he has signed a contract until June 2028. When he is older, Alao will be allowed to sign a longer deal. Ben Jacobs has more details.
How much Chelsea are paying to sign Yisa Alao from Wednesday
The left-back becomes Chelsea’s first signing of the window despite interest in Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet and on-loan Nottingham Forest midfielder Douglas Luiz. Liverpool’s Curtis Jones is also a target.
But Alao is the first through the door and Sheffield Wednesday have confirmed key details of Alao’s move in their official statement. They confirm there is an upfront payment, plus add-ons and sell-on clauses.
Yisa Alao in action for Wednesday
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“The transfer includes a substantial upfront payment, along with further protections. These include performance-related payments and a significant sell-on arrangement,” Wednesday said on their website.
Ben Jacobs, meanwhile, has reported on X how much Chelsea will pay for the teenage left-back if all of those add-ons are met at Chelsea. Alao will obviously be looking for a path into the first team.
Jacobs reported: “Chelsea confirm 17-year-old left-back Yisa Alao has joined from Sheffield Wednesday on a contract until summer 2028. If all add-ons met, the package will be in excess of £1m.”
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Born in Doncaster, Alao was just seven when he joined Sheffield Wednesday’s academy, and he has now posted a series of pictures of his time at the Championship club over the last decade, through the ages.
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He thanked all those who have helped him get to where he is, on his Instagram: “10 years, endless memories, from the staff, to my teammates, the fans, forever grateful. Thank you Sheffield Wednesday.”
Alao will almost certainly be a part of Chelsea’s U21 side to begin with, but there is certainly a path into the Chelsea first team regarding a left-back in the future. Only Marc Cucurella and Jorrel Hato are options.
It is unclear if Alao will be given the chance to be involved for Chelsea’s second string on Monday night, with the Blues facing Leicester City in Premier League 2 away from home.
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