Chelsea may have missed out to Bayern Munich on Michael Olise – but the Blues are now set to sign a wonderkid from Crystal Palace.
The west Londoners have placed a huge emphasis on young talent ever since Todd Boehly purchased the club from Roman Abramovich – and that policy is now set to see one of Crystal Palace’s best academy players depart Selhurst Park.
So, who are Chelsea expected to sign from Crystal Palace? Let’s take a look…
Chelsea set to sign Reggie Watson from Crystal Palace
A story from The Secret Scout now claims that Chelsea are set to sign Reggie Watson from Crystal Palace.
It is said that the Crystal Palace U15 prodigy enjoyed a “great” 2023/24 campaign in SE25, which caused Chelsea to sit up and take notice.
Watson – son of Ben Watson, who made 189 appearances for the Eagles after graduating from Crystal Palace’s academy in 2003 – seems to have taken interest in a potential switch to Stamford Bridge, and the move is now expected to go through.
It is hardly as big a blow for Crystal Palace as losing Olise, although it must be said that it’s disappointing to see one of the best talents in the academy be lured away by a Premier League rival.
To make matters worse, Chelsea rarely even give opportunities to their own academy products, often preferring to spend on a player from overseas, so Watson’s career may suffer.
That is how we managed to sign Marc Guehi for £18m as Chelsea splashed £38.8m on Axel Disasi and £35m on Benoit Badiashile – while Olise himself was also in Chelsea’s academy before leaving in 2016.
Positives to be taken
While this is a negative development on the surface, there are positives to be taken in the fact that our £20m academy is producing a calibre of talent which the likes of Chelsea feel determined to pinch.
Yes, Watson looks set to depart, although Steve Parish can point to this situation as proof the academy is working, and it could serve as a point of attraction to other top prospects he hopes to bring to south London.
Hopefully, the compensation fee Chelsea are expected to hand Crystal Palace is a substantial one, and can be put towards recruiting more of England’s greatest talents to replace Watson.
