Nigeria-eligible teenager Saheed Olagunju offered two year contract at Chelsea academy

ENGLISH Premier League giants Chelsea have offered Nigerian teenage defender Saheed Olagunju a two year contract that will make a member of the club's Academy Scholars for the Professional Development Phase next season.

Olagunju, 15, has already made his competitive debut for Chelsea U18s while still a schoolboy, starting in a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion in an U18 Premier League fixture last month. He was also in the Chelsea U16 squad that featured in the Premier League U16 tournament in October.

Seen as a player with a great future, Saheed comes from a footballing family as he is the younger brother of Huddersfield Town academy product Mustapha Olagunju who made his professional debut for the Terriers as a teenager. In his new role, he will work with compatriots Somto Boniface and Chinonso Chibueze, who enter the second year of their scholarship with the Chelsea academy in July 2023.

In England, all U17 players are required to sign scholarship forms with their respective clubs before signing their first professional contracts on or after their 17th birthday. Olagunju, like Boniface and Chibueze will all be looking to make the grade as senior Chelsea players.