Just when everyone thought Chelsea had spent enough money in the transfer window, the Blues sprang another surprise by paying €120 million to sign Enzo Fernandez. Chelsea have at least four players in the top 10 biggest transfers in the 2023 winter window. Apart from Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, David Dietro Fofana, and Joao Felix also joined the club. Amidst all these big names, the signing of talented young striker Jimmy Jay Morgan has gone under the radar.
On the deadline day, Morgan’s transfer was overshadowed entirely by Enzo Fernandez’s record deal. However, that doesn’t take away the fact that he is one of the best young strikers in the country. Morgan was signed for an estimated fee of £6 million, a fee worth every penny given the teenager’s talent.
So, who is Chelsea’s deadline day mystery signing, Jimmy Jay Morgan, and how good is he?
Playing career so far
Born on January 21, 2006, Jimmy Jay Morgan started his youth career at Chelsea. However, he quickly moved to Southampton, where he spent the majority of his youth career. It was at Southampton where he caught the eyes of everyone with his impressive ability in the attack. Even at such a young age, Morgan showed qualities of a complete centre-forward, dropping down the pitch to be involved in the build-up play.
Speaking on his talent, Southampton coach Nathan Jones said, “Jimmy is a fantastic player with a bright future if he picks the right choices and the people that are working with him handle him well and if we work him in training and develop him into the right level”.
It was under Jones that Morgan where he was named in the first team. This came after an impressive outing for the under-18 teams in the 2021-22 season, where he helped his team win the title.
In the 2021-22 season, he would also play two matches in the Premier League 2 and the FA Youth Cup. His performances have given him a promotion to the under-21 and under-23 teams this season.
And while he has not made any appearances for the team, he has been on the bench for several matches, including the quarter-final clash against Manchester City.
Understand Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign the talented striker Jimmy Jay Morgan from Southampton — born in 2006, new one for the Academy. 🔵🏴🤝🏻 #CFC
Fee close to 6m with add-ons, deal almost completed. pic.twitter.com/sl4nJKFLP7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 1, 2023
Jimmy Morgan stats
Jimmy Morgan’s name started spreading at Southampton when he scored 27 goals for the under-16s team. And in his first season for the under-18s, Morgan scored seven goals and provided five assists, averaging one goal contribution every 90 minutes.
In addition, he also scored his maiden goal in the Premier League 2, scoring in a 4-2 away win against Newcastle United.
In the current season, he has only played for the under-23s and the under-21s. Playing in the Premier League 2, Morgan has scored four goals and provided five assists in just eight games. In these appearances, he has played 571 minutes giving an impressive one goal involvement every 63 minutes.
He has also been starring in the FA Youth Cup, scoring two goals in two matches. Morgan has also been called up to the England under-17 squad for the 2023 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification, where he scored three goals in three games.
Jimmy Morgan scout report
The talent Jimmy Morgan has at 17 years is seldom seen. While there are players his age who are better goal scorers than him and better goal creators than him, there are few who can do both. And this is the reason why Chelsea have signed him.
Morgan has ample pace, which he uses to his maximum effect. This, combined with his dribbling and good passing, makes him a complete package, making him a menace to the opposition. The fact that Chelsea paid such a huge amount even though he is on a scholarship contract shows how much faith the club has in his abilities.
Easy to miss in the chaos of today but the #SaintsFC B team picked up a nice 3-1 win over Sunderland.
2 goals for Jimmy Morgan and 1 for Tyler Dibling. The #ENGU17 boys keeping up their international form. Lovely finish for Lancashire as well, shame it was in the wrong net 🤷🏼♂️ pic.twitter.com/wLR8DBO43L
— JustSaints (@JustSaintss) November 7, 2022
Moreover, he also has the qualities that will enable him to play as a false nine and maybe as a winger, making him an even more dangerous proposition. He was already a star at Premier League 2 with Southampton, and now at Chelsea, he will have even better teammates who will elevate the quality of his game even more.
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What makes him special
Jimmy Morgan is a player who is not fazed by an occasion and has nerves of steel seldom seen in a player at such a young age. There have been no youth competitions where he might have looked out of place. In fact, every time, he has taken the game by the scruff of the neck and made his mark.
His greatest skill is not goal scoring or goal creating but rather fearlessness and confidence on the ball. Even if he fails while doing something spectacular such as a difficult pass or a long solo run; he does not shy away from doing it again, trusting his skill over the fear of failure.
And at the highest level, the mental side of the game takes precedence, as many players have the skill, but a select few have the temperament to execute it at the highest level.
Jimmy Morgan potential and transfer news
While the news of Morgan’s transfer was buried under the record deal for Enzo Fernandez, he does represent a significant future for the club. Currently, Chelsea are deploying a risky transfer strategy under Todd Boehley, because of which they are signing players left, right and centre. However, it is highly unlikely that every player will live to their potential.
And due to the Financial Fair Play (FFP), Chelsea can’t continue to sign players on high fees and thus will need players from youth teams to step up their game and become a part of the first team. We have already seen how much money the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal have saved due to the rise of Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.
Hence, a lot is riding on acquisitions such as Jimmy Morgan, and Chelsea will not be looking to sell him even if a massive offer comes.
And if he does realise his potential, which is sky high, then it could be one of the best masterstrokes by the club in youth transfers.