Josh Acheampong has sent Chelsea the perfect message ahead of the January transfer window. Enzo Maresca handed the 18-year-old defender, who was previously linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge, his first start for the Blues in a 3-1 win over Astana in the UEFA Conference League.

Acheampong made his senior debut for Chelsea back in September, enjoying a brief cameo appearance off the bench in a Carabao Cup clash against Barrow. Despite helping the west Londoners progress into the fourth round, he was frozen out, losing his place in the first-team setup and the Development Squad.

As exclusively reported by football.london in October, Acheampong was told by the club that he would not represent Chelsea at any level while negotiations over a new contract were underway. The England Under-20 sees his current deal at Stamford Bridge expire in June 2026.

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football.london understands that talks have since taken a turn for the better, moving in the right direction – hence his return to first-team. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Blues' 7000-mile round trip to Kazakhstan, Maresca confirmed that Chelsea are 'close' to reaching an agreement with Acheampong.

"He is in the squad, yes, and is probably going to play from the start," said Maresca on Wednesday morning. "For Josh, it is quite clear: The club love Josh, I love Josh, and we are trying to find an agreement with the player. We are close, we are almost there, but we will see."

Keeping his word, Maresca named Acheampong in the starting lineup. The Cobham graduate made quite the impression, seamlessly slotting into the right-hand side of Chelsea's backline alongside Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo and Renato Veiga.

Acheampong proved that he's more than ready to deputise Malo Gusto – in the absence of Reece James – at right-back, displaying great composure on the ball, a wide range of passing and courage in duels. Whether he was hugging the touchline or stepping in-field to contribute to the build-up, he looked comfortable.

"It was a solid performance," said Maresca in his post-match press conference. "We knew it was quite cold and we tried to adapt quickly. The players did fantastically with the weather conditions, the long journey yesterday, and the pitch was not ideal for us. Overall I’m very happy for the players.

"I’m also happy for the young players who helped us win the game. I was impressed by all of them. The ones who started, Tyrique [George], Sam [Rak-Sakyi] and Josh [Acheampong] all did very good. So I’m very happy for them and the ones that came on in the second half, I’m pleased."

WIth contract talks ongoing and the January transfer window on the horizon, Acheampong has more than proved his worth to Chelsea. If he hasn't already, Maresca can begin moulding the youngster into the all-encompassing dynamic defender for his system – whether he's stepping in for James or even Wesley Fofana.

That said, Axel Disasi may suffer as a result, but the Blues have a real gem on their hands...