England international Ben Chilwell has joined Chelsea from Leicester City on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old left-back is Frank Lampard’s third signing since taking helm of Stamford Bridge following the arrivals of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax and Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.
Chilwell made 123 appearances for the Foxes, scoring four goals and assisting 12 in the meantime, before missing the final five games of the season due to injury.
Chelsea’s new left-back is a cemented figure in Gareth Southgate’s England side having earned eleven caps since his debut in September 2018.
However, it has not been smooth sailing for Chilwell. Here is the Englishman’s story.
Born in Milton Keynes, made in the Midlands
Chilwell was born in Milton Keynes on 21st December 1996 and grew up with the boyhood dream of playing in the Premier League.
He began his footballing journey with local clubs Woburn Lions, Bletchley Youth and Rushden & Diamonds before the Foxes began to circle.
In 2009, Chilwell joined the Leicester City Academy before getting promoted from the Under-18s into the Under-23s in 2014.
In his maiden season as a Foxes Under-23, Chilwell made 19 appearances, in which he directly contributed towards four goals.
On his tenth Premier League 2 appearance, Leicester and Chilwell beat the Chelsea Under-21s 1-0. A famous Blues team that featured the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathan Aké, Andreas Christensen and Jeremie Boga.
Five years later and Chelsea’s new signing will be lining up alongside the respective names in South West London.
Chilwell’s professionalism and maturity, among other desirable traits, impressed the entourage at Leicester and was handed the captain’s arm band in the FA Youth Cup Semi-Final 1st leg versus Manchester City.
The young Foxes were brushed aside 3-0 by the Sky Blue Under-18s.
A taste of first-team football
Having won Leicester City Academy Player of the Year in his first season with the Under-23s, a first-team debut for the Foxes was looming.
Claudio Ranieri was appointed as Leicester’s new manager ahead of the 2015/16 season and handed Chilwell his debut in a pre-season friendly. Ranieri was mesmerised by the youngster’s performance and handed Chilwell the number 30 shirt. The Milton Keynes-born defender was catching a whiff of his boyhood dream.
On 27th October 2015, Chilwell made his professional debut against Hull City in the EFL Cup Fourth Round which saw the Foxes lose 6-5 on penalties. A momentous occasion for the defender which was dampened by the result.
The competition for game time at the King Power was highly sought after, leaving Chilwell starved of first team football. As a result, the now 23-year-old joined Huddersfield on loan in a tenure that lasted no more than three months.
Chilwell enjoyed eight appearances in the Championship where he started seven and lost just three.
Making the breakthrough
Foot on the throttle. Chilwell was moving swiftly through the gears. His boyhood dream was in his sights. In the horizon.
After such a joyous season the year before, which saw Ranieri win the Premier League in such extraordinary circumstances, the pressure to perform for the champions was immense.
Chilwell looked to force himself into the Leicester starting eleven but veteran defender, Christian Fuchs, was no push over. The England international went on to make 19 first team appearances including two in the Champions League; against Porto and Atletico Madrid.
The 2016/17 season proved to be the making of Chilwell who progressively became the Foxes’ first choice left-back. The 2017/18 season saw him make 24 Premier League appearances followed by 36 in 2018/19.
Getting his man
The hype surrounding Chilwell was picking up and his market value snowballed. Lampard was reportedly a great fan of Chilwell; however, a £80 million price tag and end of season injury dented the Blues’ optimism.
A deal was soon wrapped up and Lampard got his man. Chilwell will now look to join up with his new teammates in Cobham before pre-season begins.
After years of searching, Chilwell may turn out to be the long-awaited and much desired replacement for Ashley Cole. A young, fiery English left-back with a cultured left-foot who can contribute to the attack in the final third.
Only time will tell…