Celebration at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea sign a world-class youngster
London club, Chelsea beat Newcastle United to secure the signing of 17-year-old Jamaica wonderkid Dujuan Richards from Phoenix FC football academy.
Richards, who made his debut for his country against Trinidad & Tobago last week, had agreed terms and signed for Chelsea before his international debut.
Richards joins from the Phoenix Academy and will link up with Chelsea in November when he turns 18.
Originally, it was Newcastle who thought they were in pole position to sign the promising teenager.
After he impressed on trial in February, the Toon were desperate to push through a deal.
But, they were beaten to the punch by their Premier League rivals – who have claimed the talent’s signature.
However, Richards’ future could have been decided before his move to West London.
The young forward expressed his excitement about the deal on social media, calling it a dream come true to play in the Premier League and for a club like Chelsea.
He made the same decision as Brazilian starlet Andrey Santos, who also opted for a move to Chelsea despite strong interest from Newcastle.
“Whenever you manage a player, it is important that you look at all available options and choose the best possible offer,” his agent Craig Butler told The Jamaica Gleaner.
“Newcastle really did a great job and made a big effort to get him and we appreciate everything that they have done. Newcastle presented a very good offer and so did Genk and Ajax. But for us Chelsea presented the best one.
“Chelsea were not just better from a financial perspective but also in terms of his football pathway and the plan for the player.”