When Chelsea signed Ethan Ampadu from Exeter City in 2017, it was impossible to tell if the teenage defender would make it at Stamford Bridge.
The young defender had established himself as a regular with the League One side at the age of just 15, making 13 appearances for his hometown club before his move to Chelsea the following summer.
The Blues would only pay compensation to the Grecians as Ampadu was under the age of 24, which made him a low-risk signing, but his lack of game time nearly six years on suggests that he isn't going to make it at Chelsea, and Graham Potter should look to get rid of the defender for good in the summer transfer window.
What's happened to Ethan Ampadu?
Ampadu would make his Chelsea debut in the EFL Cup in the 2017/18 season and has gone on to make 12 appearances for the senior side in total, all of which came when he was still just a teenager, with his outings spread across various domestic and European cup competitions.
Ahead of the 2019/20 season, the Welshman would join RB Leipzig, but he was limited to just seven appearances for the Bundesliga outfit, most of which came from the bench, which will have stunted his development further.
The following season saw him join Sheffield United in the Premier League but he was unable to help them avoid relegation to the Championship, as his 25 top-flight appearances returned a disappointing 6.70 average rating from WhoScored.
Interestingly, Ampadu's 41 caps for Wales means he has played more for his country than he has for any other side, with his 30 outings at Venezia last season the most of his club career. That's certainly worrying for a player that will turn 23 later this year.
He has been a regular at Spezia so far this season in Serie A, averaging a 6.72 rating from WhoScored across his 22 appearances in Italy's top flight but once again the standard at the Genoa-based club cannot be compared to being a first-team player at Chelsea.
It was always going to be difficult for the versatile defender to develop properly at Chelsea given his lack of first-team opportunities, but it seems clear now, 298 weeks after he initially made the move to Stamford Bridge, that Potter should cash in on Ampadu this summer to ensure that his talent doesn't go to waste.
