Who is Sam Rak-Sakyi? The Chelsea player wanted by Frank Lampard at Coventry City | OneFootball

FLW outline all you need to know about Chelsea's Sam Rak-Sakyi amid interest from Frank Lampard's Coventry City.

Frank Lampard is reportedly lining up a deal with his former club Chelsea for young midfield star Sam Rak-Sakyi to join Coventry City on loan for the second half of the Championship season.

The London Evening Standard claims that "talks are scheduled for next week" about the young midfielder, who has already come off the bench three times for Chelsea's senior team this season. Rak-Sakyi has also made one start for the club, too, with 86 minutes of the UEFA Conference League match against FC Astana back in December (Transfermarkt).

He is one of 11 Cobham academy graduates to be promoted into Enzo Maresca's squad this term, having first made Maresca's senior squad in Greece for a Conference League away tie against Panathinaikos. He nearly scored having come on as a late substitute at Stamford Bridge and would go on to make another late appearance at Heidenheim and against Shamrock Rovers as well.

That covers this season thus far; here, we take a look at all you need to know about Rak-Sakyi and his career to date amid the links to Lampard's Coventry side.

Brother of former Chelsea academy prospect Jesurun Rak-Sakyi - a Crystal Palace winger on loan to Sheffield United - Sam is a central player. Unlike Jes, Sam Rak-Sakyi has been able to progress through the ranks and into the first team at Chelsea, with the former released aged 16.

Rak-Sakyi is only 19 years old and will turn 20 on March 27th. His brother is 22 already. Having been at Chelsea since the age of eight, he graduated to the U-18s in 2021/22 and quickly became a key part of Ed Brand's side that season. The following campaign saw the youngster battle injury with periods on the sidelines.

However, when he did play, he was assured on the ball and captained the team on occasions, who were then managed by current head coach Hassan Sulaiman. He was then promoted to the U-21 team, where, after a slow start, he became a mainstay in the middle of the park and put in many outstanding performances, proving to be pivotal in the team's impressive run to the play-offs during 2023/24.

Unfortunately, he picked up another injury that saw him miss the end of the campaign, but he returned this season, making his first start of 2024/25 and competing regularly for the U-21 team in the PL.2 league as well as in the EFL Trophy against League One and Two opposition, including against Jes' former team, Charlton.

Since the start of the 2024/25 campaign, Rak-Sakyi has been a key player for the U-21 team, having recently returned from a long-term injury that saw him sidelined for several months last season under then-coach Mark Robinson. Having been at the club for over a decade, he is now a key player in Felipe Coelho's Development Squad.

On 12 December 2024, Rak-Sakyi made his full debut for Chelsea starting against Astana in the Conference League. However, he is yet to play for the first team in the Premier League, despite appearing in matchday squads. He was set to play for the Blues during their 5-0 dismantling of Morecambe in the FA Cup but was unable to take part in the action.

The native Londoner has come all the way through the ranks of the Chelsea Academy and signed a new two-year professional contract in August. His next steps need to be more regular football at senior level, which Lampard and Coventry will hope to provide if they secure his services.

The need to bring in a central midfielder has probably increased with the news that Ben Sheaf will spend a little while on the sidelines. Rak-Sakyi is highly thought of at Chelsea and operates predominantly as a defensive midfielder.

The January transfer window would not be the first time Lampard has used his contacts book in the market.

Six seasons ago, Lampard took Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori on loan while in charge of Derby to much success. He can point to that and in making the most of the Cobham production line, so Maresca and co. should be delighted at the chance he could do the same with Rak-Sakyi.

The Sky Blues have a fairly decent team on paper, but there's still work to be done in the January transfer window to make them an even stronger outfit. While, for Lampard, utilising his Chelsea links will likely have been a selling point to the board of his new club.

Lampard was also a midfielder himself, and may well relish the chance to develop a player who is comfortable in possession even under pressure and with a wide range of passing. Rak-Sakyi is predominantly a central midfield player but has also featured in a wide role on occasion for some of the youth teams.

Often playing a deeper role when picking up possession from the back, Rak-Sakyi is adept at turning away from pressure and launching attacks with an array of passes, akin to Coventry's man in the dugout. Of course, a permanent switch would be even more ideal, but a loan deal seems the most likely outcome for Coventry at this point.

Even though they could richly benefit from signing him permanently before potentially selling him on for a profit in the future, or holding onto him as an asset long-term. Rak-Sakyi has already played for England at U-17 and U-18 level, and impressive performances at Cov would likely fast-track him up to U-20 or U-21 football.