Championship playoff chasers Watford have agreed a deal to sign Chelsea defender Travis Akomeah on a three-year deal, reports Fabrizio Romano.
Akomeah will be returning to Hertfordshire three years after leaving the Hornets to join Chelsea.
A Distinguished Youth Career
The young defender has enjoyed an illustrious youth career.
Since he moved to Chelsea in January 2022, he has become a regular starter for the club’s under-18 side and regularly captained the team throughout the 2023/24 under-18 Premier League season.
This season, the London-born man has progressed into the Chelsea under-21 side, making five appearances in the Premier League 2. He has also played twice against senior opposition in the Vertu Trophy.
The imposing defender has also represented England at under-16, under-17 and, most recently, under-18 level.
But, Akomeah has yet to make an appearance in men’s football.
Watford’s Season So Far
Tom Cleverley began his first full season in charge of Watford in fine style as the Hornets occupied a playoff place during the early part of the season. Unfortunately, the Hertfordshire sides’ form has dropped off dramatically in recent weeks.
Since the 21st of December, Watford have lost eight of the 11 games that they have played in all competitions. This has seen them drop to 12th place in the Championship, but they are still only three points off the playoff places.
Despite the improvement in form compared to last season, when Cleverley was appointed in the midst of a relegation battle, there has been some speculation over the security of the 35-year-old’s job in recent weeks due to the track record of the Watford board.
Writer’s View
It will be interesting to see if Akomeah is able to secure many first-team minutes upon his return to Vicarage Road, especially because the Hornets signed another young centre-back, James Abankwah, earlier in the window.
Nonetheless, the move should prove to be a good one in the long-term for Akomeah as the Watford first team will be easier to break into than the Chelsea first team. Largely given the amount of money which the Blues have spent on centre-backs of late and the willingness of Tom Cleverley to give chances to young players.
He will also be able to learn from experienced defenders, like Angelo Ogbonna and Francisco Sierralta, on the training ground which should put him in a better position when the time to make his debut comes.