Ethan Ampadu has developed in a stop-start manner ever since first being thrown into the Chelsea first team in 2017. A player of much promise and one the West London side rates very highly, it is anybody’s guess what will happen to him after a difficult loan spell at Sheffield United. Faced with the task of breaking into a midfield or defense at Chelsea that is brimming with talent, we take a look at where the future lies for Ethan Ampadu.
Setting the Scene
The young midfielder, who can also play centre-back, started to establish himself as a useful squad member for Antonio Conte in 2017/18, but suffered from ankle injuries which kept him out towards the end of his first season. By the time the next season came around, Maurizio Sarri was in charge and Ampadu struggled to make an impact in his plans. The Europa League brought some opportunities but Ampadu rarely made the Premier League squad and again, finished the season with injury issues.
Roll on season three at Chelsea and Ampadu drifted further down the pecking order. He left on loan to RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga and despite the promise of working under the tutelage of Julian Nagelsman in a league typically suited to developing young players, he struggled to prove himself. Over the duration of the loan, he played just 277 minutes of football in all competitions.
One memorable moment though was his masterful and commanding performance against Tottenham in the Champions League round of 16. Ampadu was made a surprise inclusion in the centre of Leipzig’s back three and kept Harry Kane and Son quiet for the whole 90 minutes in a 1-0 win for the German outfit. It was the kind of performance that he could have built on and used as a platform to more minutes, although unfortunately he got injured a week later and barely played again for the rest of the season.
So now we arrive at the beginning of the 2020/21 season. Ethan Ampadu had now been at Chelsea for three years and had only played 19 games of club football, mostly from the bench. It was crucial that in his next loan spell, he would play consistent minutes, ideally in the Premier League. After being left out of Frank Lampard’s pre-season plans due to Chelsea having “a lot of quality” in midfield and defence, he joined Sheffield United on a season-long loan deal.
I looked at Ethan Ampadu’s time at Sheffield United through statistics and the opinions of fans. I wanted to get a better understanding of where he currently is in his development and find out what should come next for the promising young Welshman.
Ethan Ampadu: Breaking Down His Time at The Blades
To start with, Sheffield United gave Ampadu the opportunity to play games, just as Frank Lampard wanted. Ethan started 23 Premier League games for the Blades and played 2451 minutes of football in all competitions. Considering the minutes he was getting previously, this was a massive step up in his development and can only have done him good. Most of these games were played on the left of their back three but he also spent time in various midfield roles. He was within the top 10 for minutes played at the club and this shows he was clearly trusted by the manager(s).
Let’s have a look at his defensive numbers:
- Positives
- 57 Tackles at a 63% success rate (17th for PL defenders)
- 49 Interceptions
- 83 Clearances
- 114 Recoveries
- 147 Duels Won (out of 233)
- 15.47 Pressures per 90
- Negatives
- 2 Clean Sheets
- 1 Own Goal
- 1 Errors Leading to goal.
These are very respectable numbers for a young player playing his first season of Premier League football, especially when you consider it is for a team who have been ranked bottom of the Premier League for nearly the whole season. While it can be hard to stand out in a team who have been so poor, he put in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.70, the highest of any player at Sheffield United. It is also understandable not to be keeping clean sheets regularly given the context of their season.
He is an aggressive and proactive defender, although perhaps overly so at times – 15.47 pressures per match puts him in the 99th percentile for defenders. It can also be seen in the sheer number of tackles he makes.
As well as putting in good defensive numbers, he was also a solid creative force from the back, demonstrating a good ability move the ball forwards by carrying it or passing. While his pass completion of just over 80% perhaps leaves something to be desired, it can be understood when you look at the way Sheffield United play. Some of his key passing and shot-creating numbers on the other hand are particularly impressive for a defensive player.
- 4.22 Progressive carries per 90 (78th percentile for CB’s)
- 3.62 progressive passes per 90. (77th percentile for CB’s)
- 0.43 Key passes per 90 (95th percentile)
- 0.69 Passes into the penalty area (95th percentile)
Statistics courtesy of: PremierLeague.com, WhoScored and FBREF
Best Moment
Ampadu’s best moments at Sheffield United came at the start of 2021, when he was finally able to get a consistent run of games in one position. United started to pick points and got important wins over Newcastle, Manchester United and West Brom.
For his best moment in this period, and indeed over the course the season, I’ve picked the 1-0 home win over Newcastle United in January. He played on the left side of the back three and kept a respectable clean sheet again the likes Calum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and later on the physical threat of Andy Carroll.
Ampadu looked smooth on the ball and dealt comfortably with the aerial threat of Newcastle United, winning 7 aerial duels. He got an 8.4 match rating from whoscored and was integral in guiding Sheffield United towards a rare Premier League win. Unfortunately, the run didn’t last, and they were unable to move out of the relegation zone.
Worst Moment
Ethan Ampadu had his worst moment for Sheffield United in a 5-0 mauling at the hands of Leicester towards the end of the season. He played in the middle of a makeshift back three and struggled to deal with the threat of Iheanacho, eventually finishing off the poor performance with an own goal. It is worth noting however, that he was not the worst performer for Sheffield United that day and was offered little in the way of protection from the midfield and wing backs. Ultimately though, it wasn’t a good moment Ethan Ampadu and exposed some of the naivety in his game.
Still, at 20 years old, you can forgive some defensive lapses in concentration against a potent Leicester attack.
Ethan Ampadu: What Did the Fans Think?
I spoke to Blades fans on social media, hoping to get a better understanding of Ampadu’s development this season. After a stern telling off for referring to them as just “Sheffield”, I got some interesting opinions.
Most fans seem to agree that Ampadu has shown good moments and has the potential to be a good, Premier League standard player. The problem though, was being able to show that potential. Sheffield United have been nothing short of shocking this season and when the average standard is so low throughout the team, it’s hard for players to express themselves.
“It’s really hard to tell though (if he’s ready for Chelsea) when he’s played in a team that has been so poor this season. You have to be exceptional to stand out when everyone around you is playing poorly, and he hasn’t been.”
Another problem that Ampadu had was not being able to nail down a position quickly. The squad was heavily affected by injuries and this meant Ampadu had to fill in where necessary. Whilst he eventually settled in a spot on the left of their back three towards the end of the season, he started the campaign playing all over the place. Often being used in different roles in midfield and across the back three.
Fans felt that he struggled with the overlapping role that Chris Wilder demanded from his centre backs and often did not know when to makes runs forward. They also said he struggled with the physical side in defence but lacked the positional awareness to play in central midfield. They did, however, acknowledge that he could have shown more in midfield if he had better players around him.
“Defensive positions tend to take more game experience (to develop) than attacking positions where you’re expected to work alone in a real sense”
On a more positive note, several fans felt that he developed and improved as the season went on. Although he was sometimes “brash” with his tackles and fouling, he showed great passion for a loan player. The kind of passion that was absent in more experienced players like John Lundstram. He also showed good technical ability at times. His ability to play the long diagonal pass switched up their attack and helped them create opportunities from the back.
It’s worth noting that both Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel have made use of such passes throughout the season and it’s clearly an important part of the way Chelsea play.
Loan Verdict
Was this the best loan move possible for Ethan Ampadu? Probably not. Will he have learned from the experience and come back a slightly better player? Sure.
Although Sheffield United were poor and did not give Ampadu the opportunity to express himself, they did give him the chance to play consistent football in the Premier League. I just question whether he would have learned more somewhere else. Sheffield United overperformed last season and were always going to struggle in their second season. When teams at the bottom of the table have problems, they often abandon their principals in an attempt to get quick results and get out of trouble. The inevitable outcome is a lower quality of football and the kind of environment that is hard on young players. Ethan Ampadu suffered a lot because of this and although he was objectively one of Sheffield United’s best players, he probably didn’t have the chance to show it in an obvious way and improve technically.
Everyone always wants youth players to play at the highest level possible, but this isn’t always what’s best for them. I feel that going abroad like Trevoh Chalobah or moving down the Leagues like Marc Guehi might have been a better step in his footballing development and would have left us with a more complete Ethan Ampadu.
Ethan Ampadu: Next Steps
I don’t think Ampadu will return to Chelsea yet. There is a case to be made that he would a good squad option for Thomas Tuchel but you have ask if that’s what is best for Ethan. Another season of limited opportunities, substitute/cup appearances and no consistent position won’t do him any good. It could see him stagnate.
For me, the next step is improving the quality of game time and finding his best position. Many Sheffield United fans believe, and I agree, that although he spent most of his time there as a centre back, his best position could be in defensive midfield. Some of the numbers do back this up as well, with his overall WhoScored match rating being slightly higher in midfield.
Chelsea fans have spent much of the season crying out for a player in the profile of Declan Rice. A physical leader in the middle of the park with good passing range and ability to win the ball back. Ampadu fits this profile. There is no doubt that Declan Rice is a better player right now, but he has also played four seasons of Premier League football as a starter. Who is to say that Ampadu couldn’t reach similar heights with more games?
The question however, is where will this football be? Another Premier League team may take him on loan again, but would it be a team of sufficient quality to let Ampadu kick on? If not, then it might be worth him going to playing for a leading Championship team. The English Championship has improved so much in quality over the past few years and could be the ideal environment for Ampadu to express himself on the ball and become a more accomplished footballer. We’ve seen Marc Guehi, Conor Gallagher, Reece James, Mason Mount and many others have successful Championship loans and come back all the better for it.
One Sheffield United fan I spoke to agreed with this as well. He thought that Ampadu would likely learn more playing for a dominant, upper half Championship team than he would scrapping in the Premier League relegation zone. He thought it would not be a step down if established himself in the starting 11 and managed to complete the season without injury.
Frank Lampard has been linked with the Crystal Palace and West Brom jobs over the last couple of days and perhaps this could be an ideal destination for Ampadu. He has expressed how highly he rates Ethan in the past and could be trusted to use him the right way.
Final Thoughts
I’m a huge fan of Ethan Ampadu. I love his composure on the ball, tenacity in the challenge and fearless nature. There is no doubt in my mind that he can be good enough for the Chelsea first team, he just needs to play consistently and stay fit. Whatever his club is next season, this is what matters.
It’s just frustrating to me that he’s spent the last four years of his Chelsea career either not playing or being sent away on loans that aren’t absolutely ideal for developing his game. Sure, he will have learned along the way, but he could have learned so much more with smarter planning and better choices of loan clubs – sound familiar?
He is now 20 years old and is coming to the stage of his career where he must start imposing himself as a player who is ready for this level. The next couple of seasons will be crucial in determining if he makes it at Chelsea or not, so I hope for everyone’s sake that the club gets it right. No one wants to see him go the way of so many talented Chelsea youth players that went before him
Written by CFCExtra (@CFCExtra)
Edited by Dan Hill (@idanknow05)
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Sources:
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ethan-ampadu/profil/spieler/392771
https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/maurizio-sarri-pays-ethan-ampadu-15554468
https://www.premierleague.com/players/19731/Ethan-Ampadu/stats
https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2019/07/22/ethan-ampadu-moves-on-loan-to-the-bundesliga
https://fbref.com/en/players/10b9fa99/scout/365_euro/Ethan-Ampadu-Scouting-Report
https://www.whoscored.com/Players/322418/Fixtures/Ethan-Ampadu