Chelsea told they sold 'amazing' and 'brilliant' player for just £7m

Did Chelsea make a costly transfer mistake? (Picture: Getty)

Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have questioned Chelsea ’s decision to sell ‘amazing’ and ‘brilliant’ Ethan Ampadu following his impressive return to the Premier League with Leeds United .

Chelsea signed a 17-year-old Ampadu from Exeter City in 2017 and the Welsh star spent six years at Stamford Bridge.

But Ampadu spent most of that period on loan, playing for RB Leipzig, Sheffield United , Spezia and Venezia while trying and failing to break into the Chelsea first team.

The then-defender did make 12 appearances for Chelsea but failed to ever establish himself as a key player at Stamford Bridge and was sold to Leeds in 2023 for just £7m .

Ampadu reacted superbly to the blow of being discarded by Chelsea, captaining Leeds to the Championship title last season and continuing to impress upon their return to the Premier League.

Daniel Farke’s side were one of the favourites to be relegated at the start of the season but have pulled six points clear of the drop zone with 11 games remaining.

Ampadu has played in all but three of Leeds’ Premier League games this season and former England stars Lineker and Richards were impressed by his performance in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa .

Ethan Ampadu has impressed for Leeds United (Picture: Getty)

‘Ethan Ampadu, oh my word,’ Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast . ‘His energy… his football intelligence, his technique.

‘Do you remember him early doors at Chelsea? It was so different at Chelsea because he was a centre-half who was good on the ball, now he’s playing centre-midfield and dictating play. He’s been amazing.’

Lineker added: ‘Everyone was talking and raving about him weren’t they and then he disappeared a little bit in terms of his reputation.

Ampadu spent six years at Stamford Bridge (Picture: Getty)

‘I saw one or two people saying they weren’t sure about him but I’ve been really impressed with him this season.’

Premier League record goalscorer and England legend Alan Shearer, meanwhile, praised Ampadu for his ‘brilliant’ performance against Aston Villa.

On Leeds’ impressive form, Richards added: ‘They’re creating chances, they defend well, they’re entertaining to watch, Daniel Farke has done a really good job there.’

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Ampadu, meanwhile, said last week that it ‘felt like he could have stayed’ at Chelsea but wanted more game-time for his ‘development’.

A number of clubs expressed interest in signing the Wales international but Ampadu is glad he chose Leeds, insisting he now feels ‘at home’ at Elland Road.

‘I always felt like I could have stayed [at Chelsea] and been a fourth-choice midfielder,’ Ampadu said. ‘But you never know what could happen with that.

‘For my development, it was better to play. I was never really phased or bothered if it was abroad. It wasn’t just Chelsea pushing, it was an open conversation over what was best.

‘Before I joined, I heard how big Leeds were but I never really understood it. It would be weird for me to say, because of how big Leeds are, because I didn’t really understand it.

‘The project they had, the boss told me where I could improve. It felt right, it felt like it fit after speaking to him. It’s worked our well, Leeds feels like home.’

Ampadu’s Leeds face title contenders Manchester City this weekend, while his former club Chelsea take on Premier League leaders Arsenal.