Two things Xabi Alonso would have spotted in Josh Acheampong’s latest display for England U21s

Josh Acheampong’s versatility

At Chelsea, Acheampong has mostly been used as a centre-back. However, the 20-year-old started at right-back against Slovakia.

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His heat map on Sofascore shows just how tight he was to the touchline on the right, which is encouraging. Acheampong may not have the attributes to play as a right wing-back in Alonso’s system, but clearly the Chelsea academy product can slot into the right-back position in a back four if needed.

James, Gusto, Marco Palestra and Pedro Neto are all right wing-back options for Alonso right now. Defensively, though, you could argue that Acheampong would be a better choice than most of those names in a flat back four.

Josh Acheampong’s passing

What also stood out from Acheampong’s latest outing for England Under-21s was his passing. The Chelsea youngster misplaced just one of the 84 passes that he attempted on the night — impressive.

Like a lot of defenders who have come through Chelsea’s academy, Acheampong is very technical and good on the ball. That was evident in Friday night’s European Under-21 Championship qualifier.

Ahead of the January transfer window, Acheampong is attracting plenty of interest from other clubs. However, Chelsea should keep hold of him and only consider a loan move if he does want to leave Stamford Bridge for whatever reason.

For now, Acheampong is likely to be content with life under Alonso. He has played in four of Chelsea’s five Premier League games so far, starting in two of them.

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