Academy graduate, 2016-17 Chelsea loanee, and most recently Under-20 World Cup winner Jake Clarke-Salter has put pen to paper on a new contract that will see him through till the summer of 2021.
A new contract for Jake Clarke-Salter! https://t.co/AldcbG7Hma
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 14, 2017
It might easily slip one’s mind, but Clarke-Salter was the first academy youngster to make his debut under Guus Hiddink in the latter half of Chelsea’s catastrophic 2015-16 season. A late cameo at left-back against Aston Villa was set to be followed by another couple of appearances but an injury that kept him out until the following pre-season put an unfortunate end to those plans.
He spent last season on loan at Bristol Rovers, where he was eased into the starting XI due to fitness issues and was beginning to make his mark but another unfortunate injury saw him miss a large part of the season. He returned fit for the England Under-20 side this summer and was part of a formidable defensive duo alongside fellow Chelsea youngster, Fikayo Tomori in their title-winning run. Clarke-Salter will almost certainly head out on loan before long, as is a sort of tradition for youngsters who’ve signed new deals. Hopefully he’ll kick on from his positive showings in the summer and make a massive step up from last season.