Chelsea unable to finalise deal for Nigerian right-back for second summer in a row

Chelsea's pursuit of highly-rated Wolverhampton Wanderers teenager Wesley Okoduwa has once again ended in disappointment, with the Blues failing to get the deal over the line for a second consecutive summer, according to a well-placed Chelsea insider.

Wesley, whose father Emmanuel Okoduwa, represented Nigeria at the 2003 All-Africa Games, ended speculation about his future after putting pen to paper on his first professional contract this week.

The west London giants first attempted to lure the promising youngster to Stamford Bridge last summer, impressed by his rapid rise through the Wolverhampton Wanderers youth ranks. 

Chelsea's recruitment team had monitored Okoduwa closely for months, viewing him as a long-term project with the potential to develop into a first team regular.

Wolves managed to fend off Chelsea's interest last summer, with the Nigeria-eligible right-back signing a scholarship deal before the start of the 2024–2025 season.

According to well-informed Chelsea Youth, the Blues thought they had done enough to lure Okoduwa to Stamford Bridge this summer, but the deal fell through at the eleventh hour.

One of the brightest prospects in Wolves' academy, Okoduwa, an England U17 international, has been included in six Premier League matchday squads but is yet to make his senior debut for Wolves, whom he joined at the age of nine.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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