Ethan Ampadu joined Bundesliga side RB Leipzig on loan at the start of this season, and we all thought it would be the ideal move for his development.
Part of me at the time believed that it would be wise to keep him in the squad, because of his clear quality and versatility. However, I was also wary of avoiding another situation of the season before when he didn’t get anywhere near enough senior game time.
So I was pleased. But as we now know, his loan in Germany has been nothing short of a nightmare, predominantly just warming the bench for them.
Last night he got a rare start for Leipzig due to injuries. And it wasn’t just any old game, he put in an absolute masterclass showing in the Champions League, helping his side beat Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham!
Unreal stuff, just look at these stats…
19-year-old Ethan Ampadu made more passes, completed more passes, made more interceptions and had a higher pass accuracy than any other player on the pitch during Spurs 0-1 RB Leipzig.
Remember, he’s on loan from Chelsea. 😏 pic.twitter.com/jvvQvuy4D5
— Squawka (@Squawka) February 19, 2020
As this Chelsea fan so rightly put below, there is nobody who can tell me that Ampadu would not be our best current centre back right now if he was in our squad. He clearly has it all, and has some of the leadership, dominance and passing abilities that we are desperately missing from our back line.
And the thing is, he would even be better than some of our midfielders have been this season, which is an added bonus!
The best performance by a Chelsea CB all season and it wasn't for Chelsea 😂
Well done Ampadu, needed back at Chelsea more than people realise. Better than every CB currently at the club. pic.twitter.com/SIfnFBwdg0
— Dan (@cozierpanda) February 19, 2020
