Ishe Samuels-Smith on verge of Everton exit in multi-million transfer, personal terms agreed
Everton left-back Ishe Samuels-Smith is on the verge of joining Chelsea in a deal worth £4million, according to The Athletic.
The news outlet reported late on Wednesday (5 July) that the 17-year-old has agreed a three-year deal to head to Stamford Bridge, ending an eight-year spell at Everton.
The Daily Mail reported on 3 July that Manchester City and Tottenham were also interested in Samuels-Smith but it seems Chelsea are now set to win the race for the teenager’s signature.
Good deal
Even though Samuels-Smith is highly rated at Everton, the Blues are not in a position where they can afford to turn down several million pounds for someone who’s never played senior football.
Samuels-Smith is a versatile defender who can play as a left-back and centre-back and last season, he did make the first-team squad on a couple of occasions, being an unused substitute against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup in August and Fulham in the Premier League in April.
He’s got a bright future ahead of him and unfortunately for Evertonians, they won’t be able to see Samuels-Smith reach his potential on Merseyside.
Will he make it at Chelsea? It’s unlikely if we’re going to be blunt about it. He probably couldn’t have picked a worse team to join based on the way the West London club churns youngsters through their loan system.
However, the cream should always rise to the top and if Samuels-Smith really is good enough, he’ll at least be able to win a decent move away from Stamford Bridge in the future.
Everton’s sorry financial state has led to the flogging of youngsters like this, unfortunately.
In other Everton news, Farhad Moshiri has entered talks with a prospective new board member who could even be the ultimate replacement for Bill Kenwright as chairman.