Talented youngster Ishe Samuels-Smith is on the verge of an exit from Everton.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea are close to signing Ishe Samuels-Smith from Everton. It’ll cost the London club almost £4 million to get the deal done. The defender has agreed a three-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
Whilst the need for the Toffees to raise funds this summer is well known, deals like this aren’t going to have a huge impact on the club’s spending power. It seems a shame that the Merseyside outfit haven’t been able to hang on to the talented 17-year-old and offer him a path to first team football.
Sean Dyche certainly needs to prioritise proven quality and experience in his squad as he seeks to navigate Everton clear of relegation trouble next season, however he has shown faith in Samuels-Smith before. Everton may come to regret letting him go in time, especially at such a low price.
Who is Samuels-Smith?
The left-back has regularly been involved with first team training at Finch Farm in recent seasons. He has also made an impact for the club’s under-21s side. The 6’3” left-back has also shown his quality at international level, and has made 18 appearances for England under-17s. He is an intelligent, technically gifted player, with the versatility and physicality to play at centre-back if required.
His quality certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. He was included in the 2022 Guardian Next Generation list which collated 20 of the best youth prospects in the Premier League.
Samuels-Smith may prove to be a part of Mauricio Pochettino’s long term plans at Chelsea. Given that he was with Everton from the age of nine though, his exit may be a sore subject for some Toffees fans.