Could loan signing of American youngster be a Wiley move?
American international left-sided player Caleb Wiley has joined Watford on loan from Chelsea.
The 20-year from Atlanta has been out on loan with Strasbourg this season since moving to Stamford Bridge from America in the summer.
Wiley, who cost Chelsea some £8.5m, has not played for the Blues but does have three caps for his country.
At 11 years old, Wiley attended trials for Atlanta United's youth academy, and secured one of 30 spots on the fledgling club's Under-12 team.
He joined just before the senior side played their first season in the MLS, and stayed there through the various age groups before making his debut for the reserves in 2020.
In January 2022, Wiley signed a homegrown player contract with Atlanta United and a month later made his MLS debut, scoring late on in a 3-1 win over Sporting Kansas City.
Injuries in the squad opened up more opportunities for him, and he ended the 2022 season having made 26 senior appearances.
The following campaign saw him clock up another 36 outings for Atlanta across league, cups and play-offs, scoring three times.
In the 2024 season, Wiley registered 23 appearances for United, scoring once, and it was at in August last year that Chelsea paid a reported £8.5m to take the young American to Stamford Bridge.
A month later, he was loaned to French club Strasbourg, who like Chelsea are owned by BlueCo.
He made his Ligue 1 debut for the French side in a 1-1 draw with Montpellier, and made two more appearances before spending a period on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Wiley returned to action at the start of November, but after three brief appearances he picked up a dislocated shoulder and hasn’t been involved in of Strasbourg’s last seven games.
In early 2020 Wiley represented the USA Under-17 team in a tournament in England before progressing to the Under-20s where he earned 10 caps and scored once.
He made his debut for the USA national team as a very late substitute in a 1-1 friendly draw with Mexico in April 2023, and has since gained two more caps in games with Slovenia and New Zealand.
Wiley also played in three of America’s four games at the 2024 Paris Olympics, each time as a substitute in the closing stages.
