Defender makes traditional Chelsea loan exit while Forest set to end flop’s Blues nightmare

Chelsea defender Ethan Ampadu will continue his nomadic lifestyle after signing a year-long loan deal with Serie A side Spezia.

The 21-year-old will spend 2022-2023 at Stadio Alberto Picco after agreeing yet another loan deal away from Stamford Bridge. The Wales international joined Chelsea from Exeter City in the summer of 2017. But he has played only 10 minutes of top-flight football, coming on as a substitute against Huddersfield in December 2017.

With just 12 appearances in total for the west Londoners, unsurprisingly the youngster has enjoyed several loan stints. He spent the 2019-2020 season on loan with Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.

However, first-team opportunities were at a premium, with only 78 minutes of league football during his stay.

A decent spell with Sheffield United followed, with 23 starts and 25 Premier League appearances. But the talented stopper could not prevent the Blades from being relegated to the Championship.

He inked a new three-year deal with Chelsea in the summer of 2021 before moving to Serie A side Venezia.

Once again, he was given plenty of opportunities, with 29 outings as I Leoni ałati finished bottom to plunge into Serie B.

With Chelsea’s defensive ranks looking healthy and further boosted by the arrival of Wesley Fofana, Ampadu had little chance of making an impact.

And so a switch to Italy seems a solid move as he looks to add to his 36 Wales caps.

Chelsea have confirmed the move which does not contain an option to buy. The Exeter-born ace’s future appears to be away from the Bridge, with another Chelsea player also close to leaving.

Batshuayi joins Ampadu in Chelsea exit

Michy Batshuayi’s career has mirrored that of Ampadu, joining Chelsea in 2016 but failing to make the grade. The Belgium international has bagged 25 goals from 77 outings for the capital club but only eight in the league.

Loan spells at Borussia Dortmund and Valencia followed while he had two stints at Crystal Palace. Last season saw the Brussels-born hitman at Turkish club Besiktas where he found the net 14 times from 33 league matches.

But Thomas Tuchel seems happy to let him go, with Nottingham Forest set to make him their 20th signing of the summer. Forest are in need of a goalscorer after netting just twice from their first five top-flight games.

They sit 15th and have taken four points to date but suffered a 6-0 mauling at the hands of Manchester City on Wednesday evening. The East Midlanders have spent in the region of £150m since being promoted.

Batshuayi looks set to arrive on deadline day and will finally get an opportunity to prove he can make it in the Premier League.

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