Slept-on Chelsea youngster can change his future with strong finish to the season after first Premier League goal | OneFootball

Southampton are relegated and going down after a miserable season.

They did get a scrap of joy today in the form of a late equaliser against West Ham from Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu. The midfielder pushed into the box and struck a lovely volley on his left foot in the 93rd minute.

His stats from the game were also impressive, showing a well rounded player finally developing with some consistent minutes in the Premier League:

– 52 Touches – 34/40 Passes completed – 2/3 Long balls completed – 3 Tackles – 2 Blocks – 2 Interceptions – 7 Ball recoveries – 4/5 Ground duels won

The Saints were reluctant to use Ugochukwu earlier in the season, especially when Russel Martin was in charge, but as the year gone on he’s had more action. He’s now up 1366 minutes, which is 15 90 minutes game’s worth of playing time.

Frankly he possibly would have played more had he stayed at Chelsea this season, given how little Romeo Lavia has been fit. It’s yet another loan decision from this season which has been a little disappointing.

Ugochukwu’s future remains a real mystery

Lesley Ugochukwu’s stats from Southampton’s draw with West Ham.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Ugochukwu this summer. He was really quite highly rated before joining Chelsea – he was certainly seen as a better prospect than Mathis Amougou, whom we signed in January in the same position from the same league.

With Andrey Santos likely to return from loan this summer and Dario Essugo arriving from Sporting, all ready to play in midfield, it feels like there’s no room for Ugochukwu. Despite never really having got a fair shot, another loan or a permanent move in the summer seems like the most likely outcome.

If he plays regularly the rest of this season that will be really useful for him, and for us, as everyone tries to assess his level and his potential.