Chelsea Scouts Target 16-year-old Nigerian Football Sensation, Abduljelil Kamaldeen.
Chelsea scouts are closely monitoring Nigerian wonderkid Abduljelil Kamaldeen, who has caught global attention at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
The Blues’ vast scouting network has reportedly identified the 16-year-old midfielder as a top prospect after his impressive cameo in Nigeria’s 1-0 loss to Norway U-20 on Monday. Despite being one of the youngest players at the tournament, Kamaldeen showed composure and creativity against opponents nearly five years older, almost salvaging a late equalizer for the Flying Eagles.
Sources suggest the Kwara Football Academy talent could start Nigeria’s next group match against Saudi Arabia, with several European clubs now tracking his progress.
Chelsea’s interest in Kamaldeen began earlier this year at the WAFU Zone B U-20 Boys Cup in Ghana, where he delivered standout performances — including a goal in Nigeria’s 4-1 win over Benin — and impressed against Niger and Ivory Coast in the later stages. Initially deployed as a left winger, his growing maturity on the ball has seen him move into a central attacking midfield role, where his pace, vision, and dribbling have drawn comparisons to Alex Iwobi.
Football analysts believe his flair and confidence echo that of Iwobi’s uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha, one of Nigeria’s greatest football icons.
Chelsea, renowned for developing African stars like Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel, view Kamaldeen as a potential long-term project. His technical ability and versatility reportedly fit the club’s new youth recruitment strategy.
Meanwhile, Chelsea already have another Nigerian teenager, Chizaram Ezenwata, in their youth setup. The London-born striker, who joined from Charlton Athletic, was not released for Nigeria’s pre-tournament training camp and remains eligible to play for England, Nigeria, or Cameroon.
In a related development, first-team star Cole Palmer was spotted supporting Chelsea’s U-19s this week, praising the club’s rising talents — further evidence of the Blues’ growing focus on youth development.
Chelsea scouts are closely monitoring Nigerian wonderkid Abduljelil Kamaldeen, who has caught global attention at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
The Blues’ vast scouting network has reportedly identified the 16-year-old midfielder as a top prospect after his impressive cameo in Nigeria’s 1-0 loss to Norway U-20 on Monday. Despite being one of the youngest players at the tournament, Kamaldeen showed composure and creativity against opponents nearly five years older, almost salvaging a late equalizer for the Flying Eagles.
Sources suggest the Kwara Football Academy talent could start Nigeria’s next group match against Saudi Arabia, with several European clubs now tracking his progress.
Chelsea’s interest in Kamaldeen began earlier this year at the WAFU Zone B U-20 Boys Cup in Ghana, where he delivered standout performances — including a goal in Nigeria’s 4-1 win over Benin — and impressed against Niger and Ivory Coast in the later stages. Initially deployed as a left winger, his growing maturity on the ball has seen him move into a central attacking midfield role, where his pace, vision, and dribbling have drawn comparisons to Alex Iwobi.
Football analysts believe his flair and confidence echo that of Iwobi’s uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha, one of Nigeria’s greatest football icons.
Chelsea, renowned for developing African stars like Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel, view Kamaldeen as a potential long-term project. His technical ability and versatility reportedly fit the club’s new youth recruitment strategy.
Meanwhile, Chelsea already have another Nigerian teenager, Chizaram Ezenwata, in their youth setup. The London-born striker, who joined from Charlton Athletic, was not released for Nigeria’s pre-tournament training camp and remains eligible to play for England, Nigeria, or Cameroon.
In a related development, first-team star Cole Palmer was spotted supporting Chelsea’s U-19s this week, praising the club’s rising talents — further evidence of the Blues’ growing focus on youth development.
Chelsea Scouts Target 16-year-old Nigerian Football Sensation, Abduljelil Kamaldeen.
Chelsea scouts are closely monitoring Nigerian wonderkid Abduljelil Kamaldeen, who has caught global attention at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
The Blues’ vast scouting network has reportedly identified the 16-year-old midfielder as a top prospect after his impressive cameo in Nigeria’s 1-0 loss to Norway U-20 on Monday. Despite being one of the youngest players at the tournament, Kamaldeen showed composure and creativity against opponents nearly five years older, almost salvaging a late equalizer for the Flying Eagles.
Sources suggest the Kwara Football Academy talent could start Nigeria’s next group match against Saudi Arabia, with several European clubs now tracking his progress.
Chelsea’s interest in Kamaldeen began earlier this year at the WAFU Zone B U-20 Boys Cup in Ghana, where he delivered standout performances — including a goal in Nigeria’s 4-1 win over Benin — and impressed against Niger and Ivory Coast in the later stages. Initially deployed as a left winger, his growing maturity on the ball has seen him move into a central attacking midfield role, where his pace, vision, and dribbling have drawn comparisons to Alex Iwobi.
Football analysts believe his flair and confidence echo that of Iwobi’s uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha, one of Nigeria’s greatest football icons.
Chelsea, renowned for developing African stars like Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel, view Kamaldeen as a potential long-term project. His technical ability and versatility reportedly fit the club’s new youth recruitment strategy.
Meanwhile, Chelsea already have another Nigerian teenager, Chizaram Ezenwata, in their youth setup. The London-born striker, who joined from Charlton Athletic, was not released for Nigeria’s pre-tournament training camp and remains eligible to play for England, Nigeria, or Cameroon.
In a related development, first-team star Cole Palmer was spotted supporting Chelsea’s U-19s this week, praising the club’s rising talents — further evidence of the Blues’ growing focus on youth development.
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