Just because the transfer window isn’t currently open, it doesn’t mean that deals aren’t being agreed daily throughout the season. Many clubs prefer to operate outside of the designated windows as it’s easier to keep signings quiet. There is one deal that looks as good as done that will see Crewe Alexandra forward George Nunn move to Chelsea for a fee believed to be around £300,000.
Blues fans are almost guaranteed not to have heard of the 16-year-old but after learning that they beat Tottenham to his signature, it will be a transfer of much more importance. There’s very little evidence that it is a smart signing from the Premier League champions but for such a low fee, it is certainly worth a punt on a youngster that has been tipped by Alex fans as a very promising player.
With no experience of first-team football, his record at under-16 and under-18 level are the only indicators of his ability. It was his debut with the latter where he particularly impressed, scoring a brace after coming off the bench against Nottingham Forest and turning the heads of scouts watching on.
Nunn will join the Academy at Cobham and despite his goals in Crewe’s under-18 side, it is expected that he will find his place in the under-16 team. As with most of the other young players at Chelsea, it probably won’t be long before he secures a loan move away from West London, but it is important that he spends as much time as possible in the set-up at Stamford Bridge.
We might never see the name George Nunn on the Chelsea first-team team sheet but it shows that the Blues are committed to investing time and money into strengthening the youth sides in spite of the fact that they are regularly criticised for their lack of homegrown talent.
