Fabrizio Romano: Everton documents signed to sell Ishe Samuels-Smith in multi-million transfer
Documents have been signed for highly-rated Everton youngster Ishe Samuels-Smith to complete his move to Chelsea, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Writing on Twitter, Romano also confirmed that Samuels-Smith will ink a three-year deal at Stamford Bridge after the west London side paid the £3-4million fee.
The 17-year-old came through the ranks at Everton and featured heavily for their youth setup while making the bench for the Toffees’ first team last season.
Sad goodbye, new beginning
When a nine-year-old Samuels-Smith first turned up for the Everton academy in 2015, maybe he wouldn’t have thought how far his young career would go so quickly.
He has gone on to shine for the Everton academy as a left-back and has earned caps for the England youth teams with 18 appearances and even a goal for the under-17s.
But his career has only just begun, and linking up with the well-coached and successful Chelsea youth set-up is a good step in the right direction. Perhaps further down the line, he may catch the interest of new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino who has excelled at developing younger talent at his clubs, namely Dele Alli at Tottenham.
For now, Everton fans will be upset to see him leave the only club he’s ever played for. Such a promising player could have soon played significant minutes for the first team after he had a bench-side view for their losses to Bournemouth in the League Cup and Fulham in the Premier League.
Both Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche called upon his services on the bench, showing his ability to impress and clear talent. Manchester City had also reportedly been keen on Samuels-Smith [Daily Mail], so Chelsea are likely to have a real gem in their ranks.
That being said, Everton getting up to £4million for a youth product is certainly shrewd business and could go a long way in helping the club fund new and needed transfers this summer.