Former Chelsea prospect Jon Russell signs with Huddersfield Town as free agent

Jon Russell left Chelsea at the end of the season after the expiration of his contract, but he didn’t have to wait too long to catch on with another team, signing with Huddersfield Town yesterday.

The 20-year-old will initially join their “B Team” (i.e. U23s), but with a two-year contract and a club-option for a third, he has every chance of making the jump to the first-team in the near future. The Terriers are currently in the Championship, having barely survived the drop last season. Highly promising Chelsea center back Levi Colwill joined them recently as well, though only on loan.

Russell, who joined Chelsea at the under-7 age group, is described as a “very tall box-to-box midfielder” with a “great eye for a pass”. He spent last season on loan at Accrington Stanley, scoring a couple goals and playing in about half their games. He started the season better than he ended it, but there’s certainly plenty of promise there.

“We’re very happy to welcome Jon to the Club today. He’s a very interesting player who offers different qualities to the squad, and we believe there is still a lot that we can work with him on to help him improve.

“From speaking with Jon, it became really apparent just how much he wanted this opportunity; he has a huge desire to be here. That’s a great starting point for any player, and the main quality we’re looking in for our First Team, B Team and Academy players.

“I’m excited to see how Jon progresses working under [B Team head coach] Jon Worthington in the coming months.”

-Leigh Bromboy, Head of Football Operations; source: Huddersfield Town AFC

Best of luck, Jon!