Chelsea could be on the verge of losing talented defender Pierre Ekwah Elimby, who is reportedly set for a move to West Ham United.
According to reliable insider ExWHUEmployee, as relayed by Hammers.News, West Ham appears to be in pole position to secure the services of Pierre Ekwah Elimby. They have apparently taken the young Chelsea defender on trial, and are eyeing a permanent deal in the upcoming summer transfer window.
“Next week we’re going to be taking on trial someone from Chelsea’s Under 19s. He’s a French player, defender, and he’s called Pierre Ekwah Elimby,” ExWHUemployee said on The West Ham Way podcast (April 25th). “He’s going to be on trial from Chelsea. It shows that we’re trying to pick up some young bargains from elsewhere to improve the academy,” he added.
Ekwah Elimby initially arrived at Stamford Bridge back in 2018, in a €2 million move from Nantes’ youth academy. The young defender was drafted to the U18s at first, but his impressive performances in the youth competitions saw him earn a promotion to the club’s Elite Development Squad last summer.
Chelsea have made their first signing of the summer, Welcome to Chelsea Pierre-Emmanuel Ekwah Elimby. pic.twitter.com/yx41qvMb28
— ✈️ (@Arrizabalager) July 4, 2018
Unfortunately, the 19-year-old centre-back has not been a regular with the EDS setup, featuring in only five matches in Premier League 2. His current contract at Stamford Bridge also expires at the end of the season, giving West Ham the opportunity to secure his services for free this summer.
The Hammers have enjoyed steady growth under the tutelage of David Moyes and are hoping to rebuild their squad. They are already intent on signing Jesse Lingard on a permanent deal, and the potential coup of Elimby would signal an overall development of the club’s structure.
The 19-year-old is certainly not among the best prospects available at Chelsea’s disposal. But, standing at 1.87, Elimby could prove to be an asset for West Ham if nurtured well.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will be hoping to revamp their youth squad in the summer. They have been recently linked with a move for Brighton & Hove Albion prospect Andrew Moran while Metz midfielder Pape Sarr is another young talent that could be considered by Thomas Tuchel as he looks to ring in the changes after a positive start to his career at Stamford Bridge.
