Chelsea have beaten several other top-tier teams to the signing of Yisa Alao, a 17-year-old left back from Sheffield Wednesday. Alao has signed just a two-year contract, which is quite short given the usual contract lengths of other signings, but is limited by his age (players under the age of 18 are not allowed to sign contracts longer than three years).
The Blues took advantage of Wednesday’s precarious financial situation to poach the youngster. The club are currently in administration, looking for new owners, and have been hit with deductions of 18 points total in the Championship as a result. (They have negative-seven points as a result, having won just one of their 28 games). The reported £500k fee Chelsea are paying for this transfer, in addition to “performance-related payments and a significant sell-on arrangement” will help them meet short-term financial obligations.
“Our responsibility is to act in the best long-term interests of Sheffield Wednesday and its creditors. This transfer balances immediate value for the club with protection for the future, should Yisa’s career develop as we all hope.”
-Sheffield Wednesday statement
Alao has three senior appearances under his belt already, but he will initially go into our Academy U21 setup.