EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea reportedly regretting decision to sell Ampadu to Leeds last summer after player’s superb performances so far this season as Blues believe he should have been worth more
Leeds United midfielder Ethan Ampadu is reportedly attracting interest from the Premier League this month, with clubs viewing the January window as a potential time to strike.
Dropping back into the Championship this season, fans had to curb their expectations significantly about what was realistic in the transfer market.
That’s not to say that the 49ers haven’t done very well to add quality befitting of pushing for promotion back to the Premier League.
A £7million up-front agreement was struck with Todd Boehly’s Chelsea in the summer to bring Ethan Ampadu to Elland Road as the first senior addition to Daniel Farke’s side.
Before he even kicked a ball in the Championship, Leeds fans knew they had a bargain on their hands, showing his quality in pre-season against top-flight opposition, and he has since translated that into the EFL with stunning and dominant displays.
The Wales international had a tough time at club level with his past three loans, joining Sheffield United, Venezia, and then Spezia – only for all three to be relegated while he was there.
He’s showcasing that there is far more to his game than meets the eye with these loan stints, and is one of the best defensive midfielders in the EFL, if not the best.
Further vindication of Leeds’ shrewd business has been a report from Football Insider sharing that he is one of three Whites players attracting January interest already. The clubs wanting the 23-year-old are unnamed at this moment in time, but it goes to show how well he’s doing that he’s proven in less than six months that he’s too good for the Championship.
Chelsea, meanwhile, spent an eye-watering £178.3million on players in Ampadu’s position, only to currently sit 12th in the table currently and a whopping 11 points off the top four.
The blues are reportedly infuriated from the fact that they got only £7m+ for his sale as they believe the player should have been worth much more. Others at the club also believe the Welshman should have been given opportunities to prove he could be a mainstay in the blues squad heading into the season.
Leeds and Farke won’t care one bit, though, given they are coming out of this agreement laughing that such a good player was available for such a price from a big club, especially at his age too.
