KINGSTON, CMC – Jamaican forward Dujuan Richards described signing for English Premier League club Chelsea as “a dream come true.” The 17-year-old – also known as “Whisper” – signed for the club over the weekend, but he will join officially when he turns 18 in November this year.
Richards had been close to signing for Newcastle, another EPL club, following a successful trial period on Tyneside, only for Chelsea to swoop in and hijack the deal.
“What a dream come true,” Richards wrote on social media. “When I am 18, I can play in the Premier League and for a club like Chelsea. Champions League winners and with such a high pedigree, I’m still so grateful to God for this opportunity to challenge other great talents in the football stadium.”
The contract was arranged through the Phoenix All Stars Football Academy in Kingston, and Richards thanked the club’s coach Craig Butler for helping achieve the “life-changing” goal.
“I would like to thank my coach and manager, Craig Butler, first for seeing my potential and then working on my weaknesses and building me to the level I am now,” he added. “His guidance and perseverance have resulted in my getting this opportunity and signing this contract. I shudder to think what could have happened if I had listened to others and not to Craig Butler.”
He said: “I am also grateful to the Phoenix all stars football academy for its investment in all the youths. I provide a place where no one is left behind, even if you can’t pay. I’m a product of that support—my mother and family. What can I say? You have been a rock and a fortress to me, always seeking what is best for me and sacrificing yourself. Mom, I love you, and I am going to make you proud.”
Richards also made his Jamaica Reggae Boyz debut on Saturday alongside Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson. Still, it was a bitter-sweet moment because the Trinidad & Tobago Soca Warriors beat them 1-0 in the contest played in Montego Bay.
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