Chelsea Football Club have done it again. The West London club have reached full agreement with Phoenix All Stars to sign Dujuan Whisper Richards.

Even though the Premier League side were so busy throughout the January transfer window. The Jamaican youngster is now their latest signing.

However, Richards won’t be able to join Chelsea until he turns 18-year-old. He’s currently 17-year-old, meaning the player will arrive at Stamford Bridge in November.

As a result, he just signed a pre-contract with the West London club. Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali keep gathering reinforcements for their future.

It was another hijack deal from the Blues. Newcastle were reportedly very close to getting his signature. But he later joined the Blues family.

Chelsea’s Director of Football, Joe Shields, played an important role in the negotiations, convincing the player to turn down the Magpies.

Of course, Dujuan Whisper was on the trail at Newcastle at the beginning of the year. The Magpies were so hell-bent on getting his signature.

Dujuan Whisper Richards on Newcastle’s trail:

“I’m very pleased with how the trial went, and I believe my performance was impressive enough.”

The 17-year-old Jamaican had an excellent and flawless trail with the Magpies. However, the Blues later hijacked the deal.

Frankly, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali aren’t slowing down in improving the West London club.

They signed some young players during the January transfer window. The likes of David Datro Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, and others.

At the same time, they are on the verge of signing Kendry Páez, the Ecuadorian gem, who was born in 2007.

Richards was birthed in 2005. Obviously, the Blues’ new owners are ready to dominate Europe’s top-5 leagues, particularly the Premier League, for many years.

Since Todd Boehly and Hansjörg Wyss consortium bought the West London club from Roman Abramovich.

They have successfully hijacked many deals, using their project to convince players to join, like Mykhailo Mudryk, who almost joined Arsenal.

Dujuan Richards stats this season 

19 games
31 goals
19 assists
50 goal contributions

As a Jamaican, the 17-year-old came from the same academy as Leon Bailey of Aston Villa. Of course, he’s a real gem, considering his potential.

Having 50 goal contributions in 19 games at the age of 17 is no joke. Apparently, he’s a player with a high ceiling.

Who is Dujuan Richards? 

He’s a 17-year-old central forward who plays for the Phoenix All Stars, joining their academy in his home town at the age of 12.

And he began his professional football career, making waves during his stay at the academy with 31 goals in 19 appearances.

After his impressive performance at the Phoenix All-Star Football Academy, He attracted interest from many European teams.

The likes of Newcastle, Ajax, and Genk were heavily interested in him. Therefore, he received an invitation for a trial with the Magpies of the Premier League.

Of course, he was expected to join Newcastle after his flawless 2-week trial. However, he later penned a pre-contract with Chelsea.

Richards has participated in some tournaments, even though he’s just 17-year-old. He took part in the 2022 ISSA Schoolboy Football Manning Cup and Champions Cup.

Also, he made an appearance in the 2022 ISSA Schoolboy Football All-Manning Cup vs All-DaCosta, with 1 goal in 1 match.

Interestingly, Dujuan Whisper will become the second Phoenix All Stars Academy player to play in the Premier League.

The Jamaican side already have one star in the English league, which is Leon Bailey of Aston Villa.

Dujuan Whisper Richards weaknesses and strengths

Potential-wise, the 17-year-old Jamaican is very similar to Brazilian’s Ronaldo Nazário, since he’s a central forward.

One of his biggest strengths is pace. Despite being a striker, he has the ability to use his speed to beat opponents and score goals.

Richards always feels comfortable inside the opponent’s box, putting his physical strength into action. His finishing prowess is on a different level.

Just like Ronaldo Nazário, Dujuan Whisper is an excellent dribbler. He does create chances, taking down the opposition’s player in a 1v1 situation.

Another feature is long shots, the 17-year-old striker doesn’t always commit himself inside the opponent’s box before scoring goals.

Having watched his replay, he has the ability to play accurate long shots. In all fairness, he has some part of Cristiano Ronaldo, talking of shots.

As a central forward, Richards is very technical. His ball control and movement are flawless, making him unstoppable for the opponent’s defenders.

Of course, he’s still 17-year-old, a young striker. Fortunately, he ticks all boxes as a standard No.9, and his versatility does always help him on the pitch.

Agility and athleticism can be considered as well. The Phoenix All Stars product doesn’t lose ball possession easily, always strong on the ball.

Other strengths are:

• Flair
• First touch
• Work rate
• Off-the-ball movement
• Heading
• Creativity
• Versatility
• Vision
• Passing
• Movement
• Set-pieces

Weaknesses

Having been just 17-year-old, it’s kind of difficult to pinpoint out his shortcomings. However, his defensive contributions aren’t really impressive.

Of course, as a striker, he doesn’t really need to be defensive. Nevertheless, the likes of Kai Havertz and Harry Kane always drop deep.

Richards will be officially joining Chelsea Football Club after he turns 18-year-old, which will happen in November.

As a result, playing for the West London club will reveal the major gaps in his game. Regardless, he doesn’t have any significant weaknesses at the moment.

It’s normal for a central forward to be poor defensively. As a result, he’s a complete striker, always a nightmare for defenders.

What position does he play?

The 17-year-old Jamaican plays as a striker, a complete central forward. He’s best suited to playing in a 4-3-3 formation.

At the same time, the player can comfortably play as a second striker, which is literally an attacking midfielder.

Of course, his dribbling prowess allows him to be able to create chances and free himself on the pitch.

Even though he’s left-footed, Richards can also play as a winger. His versatility usually gives the team depth in attack.

Left-footed attackers are always dangerous, because they are unpredictable. So, that makes Dujuan a threat to attack.

Whisper can play as a classic No.9, winger, and second striker. His versatility is second to none, considering his age at the moment.

Dujuan Whisper Richards style of play

The Jamaican youngster usually loves to put his physical strength into action, using it to gain an advantage over the opponent’s defenders.

He’s a complete central forward with a killer instinct, using his pace and acceleration to cause havoc inside the opponent’s box.

Richards is a very clinical finisher, capable of using both feet to score goals even though he’s left-footed.

In a tight space, Dujuan Whisper likes to link up play with his teammates, making himself available to receive passes to move forward.

Despite the fact that he’s a striker, the 17-year-old Jamaican finds pleasure in both direct and indirect set-pieces, setting the opponent’s box on fire.

The player likes to drop deep into the midfield, receive the ball, and start out the attack on his own from the midfield.

He always feels comfortable with his dribbling skills, making him unstoppable in 1v1 situations.

Richards likes to take advantage of opponent’s defenders carelessness. He usually stays alert, making use of their mistakes to score goals.

Dujuan Whisper makes use of his skills to beat defenders, cut inside, and create a decent chance for himself to score.