Ishé Samuels-Smith 59

Left-back Ishé Samuels-Smith joined Everton Academy at Under-9 level and his twin brother, Odin, was also in Everton’s Academy.

Samuels-Smith matches diligent defending with the ability to make marauding runs forward and create chances in the final third. He has represented England at Under-15, Under-16 and Under-17 level.

He broke through into the Under-18s side in the 2021-22 season, making 16 appearances in total. Some excellent performances propelled him into the Under-21s for the next season, with bouts spent training with the first-team, such was the obvious potential of the 16-year-old.

Samuels-Smith was named among the substitutes for Everton's senior side on a couple of occasions in the 2022-23 season but did not make his senior Everton debut despite a making a couple of appearances on the first-team team sheet.

Born in Manchester, the youngster was a big success at the U17 European Championships in 2023 where he was the only English player named in Uefa's team of the tournament.

A number of clubs were monitoring his progress and as the quest for his signature intensified, Chelsea edged out the likes of Newcastle United for the highly-rated young defender for a fee that was oficially undisclosed but reported to be around £4m.

The teenager agreed a 3-year deal with the London club, with the Toffees willing to let him go in order to raise badly-needed transfer funds to aid Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell in their quest to bolster the first team after a string of departures in the summer of 2023.

FactFile