Ethan Ampadu: The Young Dragon

Ethan Kwame Colm Raymond Ampadu (his full name, not an anagram) was born in Exeter, England on September 14th, 2000. He was born into a footballing family, being the son of former Republic of Ireland U21 International footballer Kwame Ampadu, now a coach at Arsenal's U18 side, and a Welsh-born mother.

Ampadu joined the Exeter City youth academy at a young age through his father, who had previously held a familiar role within the club. At the tender age of 14, Ethan made his first appearance for the U18 side, a mere four years above his pay grade at the time. Shortly after, at 15 years old, 10 months and 26 days, Newcastle’s St James Park welcomed the young prodigy, in an EFL Cup tie against Brentford on August 9th, 2016. Ampadu would show his endurance at a young age, with a fine performance and full completion of the 120 minutes in a 1-0 victory for Exeter. The budding Welshman was beginning to make tracks into his father’s footsteps. Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin was the club’s youngest ever player, until Ampadu himself made this appearance for the first team, breaking an 87-year-old record in the process; he was also named Man of the Match in this game. Just seven days later, Ampadu would make his league debut in a 1-0 defeat against Crawley Town in League Two, the lowest professional league in England.

Ampadu made 13 appearances for Exeter’s first team in the 2016/17 season, at a time where numerous top clubs around the country began to take notice of him. The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea began to pursue the signature of the young starlet. Exeter had offered the player a scholarship contract, in an attempt to keep their prized possession, but Ethan was keen to talk to other clubs. On July 1st, 2017, it was announced that Chelsea, fresh off their Premier League triumph, had won the race for Ampadu.

The club negotiated a compensation deal for the 16-year-old, following league regulations in signing a player under the age of 24 years old. A statement was imminently released by Exeter at the time, stating they hoped to agree a fee without the need of going to a tribunal with Chelsea.