Ipswich Town has officially announced the acquisition of 17-year-old midfielder Chris Atherton from Premier League competitors Chelsea.
The young Republic of Ireland youth international joined Chelsea last summer after making 32 senior appearances for Glenavon, a club in the Irish Premiership. In October, Atherton signed his first professional contract and quickly became a key player for Chelsea’s U17 and U18 squads.
In September 2022, he made headlines by becoming the youngest senior footballer in the UK, debuting at just 13 years and 329 days old while with the Lurgan Blues. Recently, it was disclosed that Atherton switched his international allegiance from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland, having previously played for Northern Ireland’s U16 and U17 teams, where he netted one goal.
“I’m thrilled to be here and eager to get started,” said Atherton. “I aim to bring creativity and an attacking threat to the team while working hard to improve every day.”
Ipswich’s Academy Manager, Ben Chenery, expressed his excitement about the signing, stating, “We are very pleased to welcome Chris Atherton from Chelsea. He is an exciting attacking player with significant potential, and we look forward to helping him develop in the next phase of his career.”