Southampton has been sounded out Chelsea's top prospect Josh Acheampong as a proven first-team signing having vast potential for immediate progress.
One of Southampton's most overlooked Premier League successes has been them crawling to the dreaded eleventh point, and the man responsible for that achievement remains an unsung success story. Easy to guess, he's Lesley Ugochukwu whose Chelsea loan was eventually worth it despite the horrendous way it began.
And as have been the thoughts regarding wonderful signings, asking Chelsea for another loan deal wouldn't be a bad idea. Truth be told, bringing back Ugochukwu for a second-division marathon would be tough but there is another Blues wonderkid who will fit the bill at St. Mary's.
As pointed out by the Daily Echo, that could be Josh Acheampong.
Compared to Ugochukwu, Acheampong hasn't had many top-flight minutes under his belt but all of them have come at Chelsea. Plus, it can be concluded that Enzo Maresca rates him highly given that he often preferred the 19-year-old towering defender over some of the elite names in his roster, at times.
Acheampong's talent is comparable to Tyler Dibling's
Indeed, that's quite telling about a teenager's Premier League ceiling. We have seen Russell Martin boldly trusting Tyler Dibling and even former Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino boosting Cole Palmer's morale, and those decisions paid off.
So, Maresca fast-tracking Acheampong at Chelsea can't be taken with a pinch of salt. On the flip side, it will take more starting eleven promises from Southampton's end to convince Chelsea because which club doesn't want their young prodigies gaining experience at a young age.
And here's where the commendable Ugochukwu loan can accelerate the negotiations between the two parties.
Further, Chelsea knows they have a bloated roster with plenty of rising faces, thus, some of them will need to accept Championship moves too. Plus, it's Southampton we're talking about, who will definitely be vying for a Premier League return at the earliest.
So, Acheampong can even intend to stay longer with the Saints without comprising on Premier League football. Rest, let's see where he ends up after the transfer window.