Football
Three seasons, three relegations with different teams. Chelsea talent on loan in England and Italy has not been lucky
Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu was the first player to be promoted from the English Fifth Division to the Premier League this season with Luton, while Ethan Ampadu was relegated for the third time in a row. In each season he has done so with a different club.
Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu was the first player to be promoted from the English Fifth Division to the Premier League this season with Luton, while Ethan Ampadu was relegated for the third time in a row. In each season he has done so with a different club.
Ethan Ampadu has been part of the Chelsea project since the 2017/18 season, when the Blues bought him from Exeter City for €2.8 million. After two seasons of gaining experience in the Under-19 and Under-21 teams and the occasional peek at the A-team, Leipzig loaned him out for a year.
First bitter experience with PL
After the end of the season, he made the move to Sheffield United in the summer of 2020. The latter was in a position to comfortably save himself after an excellent first season back among the elite, but he didn’t catch the start of the season at all, gaining just two points in the opening 17 rounds.
Ampadu spent the first half of the season in midfield before moving to the defensive side of the ball in a three-man system. He made regular appearances until the 34th round, by which time Sheffield were assured of relegation and finished the season with players who would be at the club for another year in the Championship.
Marias in Venice
In the summer of 2021, Chelsea sent him to Italy. Premier League Venice probably didn’t even know what they were looking for, as Ampadu filled in all over the place and picked up 30 starts in five different positions. On the other hand, it worked for a long time.
His reputation is a bit tarnished by the fact that he faced four card penalties during the engagement, twice for yellow cards and twice for sending offs. Venice spoiled a decent start to the season with the last 12 rounds, in which they got only five points and were relegated.
A hat-trick completed in the barrage
After the Italian adventure, the Welsh international embarked on another one last summer. This time, he gave the nod to the offer of Spezia, who saved themselves among the elite with just two rounds to go in the last edition.
Ampadu was acquired before the sixth round and the hairy defensive all-rounder has only missed the line-up twice since then due to a card penalty. He scored his first goal in Serie A in the barrage for survival, but did not prevent the 1-3 loss to Hellas Verona.
Source: Premier League, Serie A