Rio Ferdinand has sent a kind message on social media after an English prospect completed a transfer move to Chelsea this week.
The Blues receive a lot of attention in the media for their activity in the transfer window, spending a lot to assemble their first-team squad. In fairness, Chelsea have also sold effectively, raising nearly £160m in player sales so far this summer.
On top of their talented senior group, Chelsea continue to have one of the best academy structures in the country. They bring through and develop so many youngsters at Cobham, plus sometimes recruit rising stars from rival clubs.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesChelsea confirm the signing of Jesse Derry
On Thursday, Chelsea confirmed via their official website that Jesse Derry, 18, has joined them from Crystal Palace.
The English winger has penned a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge, which runs until 2029.
Back in February, Chelsea held interest in signing Derry, who’s an exciting teenager to develop in Palace’s academy. Finally, he’s secured his move across London to try and make a name for himself with the Blues.
Even though Bayern Munich wanted to sign Derry from Palace this summer, Chelsea swooped in to secure a deal for the England Under-19 international.
For now, Chelsea fans may need to be a little patient with Derry because he’s still waiting to make his first-team debut in professional football. The attacker has impressed with the Under-21s and Under-18s at Palace across recent years, so now he’ll look to shine in West London.
Photo by Piermarco Tacca – UEFA/UEFA via Getty ImagesRio Ferdinand reacts to Jesse Derry transfer to Chelsea
After completing his move to Chelsea this week, Derry described it as a “dream” transfer for himself on Instagram.
In the comment section, Premier League and England legend Rio Ferdinand responded with some words of encouragement. He wrote: “Good luck Jesse. Huge opportunity for you to grow and mature. The hard work continues…”
Fans will hope it’s not too long before Derry gets a look around the first-team picture at Chelsea. The encouraging thing for the club’s youngsters is that head coach Enzo Maresca proved last season he’s prepared to promote academy talents on a regular basis.