Fatawu Ganiwu: Chelsea take Ghanaian teenager on trial

Ghanaian teenager Fatawu Ganiwu has been handed a trial opportunity by Premier League giants Chelsea FC.

The defensive midfielder is one of the most highly-rated players on the local scene and was part of Ghana’s U-16 team that toured Europe last year.

According to the BBC, Ganiwu has already featured in some matches with Chelsea’s youth teams since his trial started.

Fatawu Ganiwu to train with Chelsea's U18s and U21s

He played in an Under-18s match against Sheffield United but is also said to have linked up with the Under-21s.

The 16-year-old will be hoping to secure a deal with the Blues, having previously undergone trials with other European clubs without getting signed. Should Chelsea sign him, though, he would likely be farmed out on loan to gain experience and game time.

Ganiwu previously had trials with French side RC Lens and Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig, where he starred for their youth team during a tournament in Brazil.

Meanwhile, former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien was on the verge of joining Burnley but the move collapsed due to the club’s reluctance to pay him just £60 per week.

Essien was on trial with Burnley, then in the third division, after shining for Ghana at the 1999 U-17 FIFA World Cup, where the Black Starlets reached the semi-finals.

While the Ghanaian impressed the Clarets, the club couldn’t sign him due to a club policy that did not allow them to pay any player on trial more than £60 per week.

Essien eventually ended up at Bastia and would later establish himself at Lyon, where he won two Ligue 1 titles before securing a move to Chelsea.