Chelsea beat Man City & Tottenham to signing of Everton teenager Ishe Samuels-Smith
- 17-year-old left-back will link up with the Under-21 side
- Chelsea tried to land Samuels-Smith last summer but have now reached an agreement
- Man City & Tottenham among the sides keen on Samuels-Smith
Chelsea have struck a deal to sign 17-year-old Everton defender Ishe Samuels-Smith, 90min understands.
The young left-back, who is also comfortable in the centre of defence, was a regular feature for Everton's Under-21 side last season and sat on the first-team bench in both the Premier League and Carabao Cup last season.
Chelsea attempted to sign Samuels-Smith last summer but failed to get an agreement over the line, but their interest never disappeared and sources have now confirmed to 90min that a deal has been struck with Everton to sign the talented teenager.
The Blues have beaten a number of Premier League clubs to his signature, fending off competition from Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham to secure Samuels-Smith on a three-year contract - the maximum length for players of his agen
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Who is Ishe Samuels-Smith?
Born in Manchester, towering left-back Samuels-Smith has long been touted as a potential star of the future.
Both Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche involved the 17-year-old with the Everton first team, and although he failed to make an appearance under either, his inclusion on the bench under two managers serves as an indication of his impact behind the scenes.
At international level, Samuels-Smith has represented England up to the Under-17s and was the only member of the Young Lions to feature in the Team of the Tournament at this summer's European Under-17 Championships, where he impressed as an outside centre-back.
Left-back has been a problem area for the Chelsea academy for the past few years, with the Blues regularly dipping their toes into the transfer market to try and add depth.
19-year-old Zak Sturge joined from Brighton last summer but ended this past season playing centrally alongside Dylan Williams, who was signed from Derby in January 2022 and made it onto the bench under Thomas Tuchel during an FA Cup victory over Luton Town shortly after his arrival.
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