09 February 2023 , 18:36
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Chelsea have beaten off competition from Arsenal and Manchester City to sign Southampton striker Jimmy-Jay Morgan.
Morgan is one of the Saints’ brightest talents, but despite the club’s best efforts, he has now left to join Chelsea. The 17-year-old striker has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Blues after the club agreed to pay an initial fee of £3million, according to The Athletic.
Southampton were desperate to keep hold of the youngster, but he has now returned to the club where he began his career. The details of the deal were worked out on January transfer deadline day and have now been smoothed out.
Morgan has caught the attention of scouts with his eye for goal, with five goals and five assists in 13 games for Saints’ B team this season. That followed a staggering run of 27 goals for Saints’ under-16s side last season.
It is understood that Morgan has left because he prefers the pathway Chelsea have laid out to their first team. That will come as a frustration to under-fire Saints boss Nathan Jones, who had publicly pleaded with him to make the “right choices”.
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Speaking to reporters ahead of Southampton's FA Cup win over Blackpool last month, Jones said: "Jimmy is a fantastic player with a bright future if he picks the right choices and the people that are working with him handle him well and if we work him in training and develop him into the right level.
Jimmy-Jay Morgan was well regarded at Southampton (Robin Jones/Getty Images)"If it's right for us tomorrow to put a youngster in, we'll do it. What we won't do is put anyone in gratuitously. They have to earn it, they have to be ready. When they do and they get their opportunities, we'd like them to take it, so we'll see."
Morgan was left out of the Southampton squad for that Blackpool game and has now decided to leave for Chelsea, where he will face a very difficult challenge to get into the first team.
Chelsea have spent £600m on players since Todd Boehly’s consortium took over in May, with Enzo Fernandes and Mykhaylo Mudryk the two headline additions in a very busy January window.
The Blues are expected to be busy in selling players in the summer in order to balance the books. As well as Fernandez and Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, David Fofana, Andrey Santos, Joao Felix and Malo Gusto were also signed in January.
Graham Potter now has a bloated squad on his hands, with question marks over futures of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mateo Kovacic, Conor Gallagher and more. Meanwhile, the club are also locked in contract negotiations with Mason Mount, Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante.