Chelsea have announced the signing of midfielder Mathis Amougou from Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne, almost a day after the close of the transfer window.
The deal for Amougou, a 19-year-old France youth international, came as a surprise for many when news of the move broke on Monday afternoon. Saint-Etienne's academy graduate was a regular for the top-flight team at the start of the season after making his debut in the second division last term, but has been relegated to the role of substitute since October.
Amougou sat out Saint-Etienne's 4-1 defeat to Lille on Saturday entirely perhaps with this impending move to Stamford Bridge in mind.
Chelsea haven't confirmed the teenager's transfer fee, but several outlets report it to be in the region of 15m (�12.4m) - representing the club's first permanent acquisition of the winter window. The Blues have communicated, however, that Amougou will begin training with the first-team squad and will not be heading to sister club Strasbourg, as had been speculated.
"I'm very happy," Amougou told club channels. "It's an honour for me to sign for such a big club like Chelsea. They believe in young players and the process they have in place to develop us is fantastic."
Whether the France Under-19 international can break into a midfield stuffed with two players who cost in excess of �100m as well as Cole Palmer, remains to be seen.
The Blues may not have added as many names as perhaps expended after being linked with the likes of Alejandro Garnacho for much of the window, but they did sanction the departures of Cesare Casadei and Renato Veiga to the Turin-based duo of Torino and Juventus, respectively. Those exits open up room in the fringes of the club's squad, where players are given regular game time in the Europa Conference League and domestic cup competitions.
Amougou is in need of senior minutes in whatever competition he can get them. The talented teen has clocked up less than 1,000 for Saint-Etienne across his entire career. For comparison, Wesley Fofana - another product of the French club's academy - has amassed more game time this season alone despite severe injury issues.
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