Polish-born Nigerian midfielder, Ashanti Akpan, has secured her future at Chelsea after the club triggered the option to extend her contract by another year, keeping her at the club until 2026.
The London side confirmed the development in an official announcement published on their website.
“Chelsea is delighted to announce an option to extend the contract of Ashanti Akpan by a further year until 2026 has been exercised.
“The midfielder has been with the Blues since the age of seven and signed her first professional contract midway through the 2023/24 season, with her senior debut arriving in March 2023 during a 3-1 Women’s FA Cup quarter-final win over Reading.
“Akpan spent last season on loan in the Women’s Championship with Birmingham City, playing 15 games and earning valuable experience of senior football as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the Women’s Super League after finishing second.”
Born in Warsaw to a Polish mother and Nigerian father, the 19-year-old is eligible to represent Poland, Nigeria, or England at international level.
So far, she has opted for the Lionesses, featuring for England’s Under-15 through Under-18 teams, and at one point captained the Under-19 squad.
Akpan began her football journey at Chelsea in August 2013, joining the academy at just seven years old.
Her rise through the ranks has seen her help the youth teams clinch major honours including the FA Youth Cup in 2021–22 and the FA WSL Academy Cup in the 2022–23 season.
She was first included in a senior Chelsea matchday squad in November 2022, when she was named among the substitutes during a 2–0 UEFA Women’s Champions League victory against Real Madrid.
Her debut eventually came in March 2023, as a second-half substitute for Sophie Ingle in the Women’s FA Cup win over Reading.
Akpan penned her first professional contract with Chelsea in December 2023, initially set to run until the summer of 2025, with the club now exercising the option to extend it by an additional year.