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CHELSEA AGREE FIRST TRANSFER AFTER FIFA WINDOW BAN

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Chelsea are expected to make Norway Under-17 striker Bryan Fiabema their first signing since their transfer ban was reduced and could add compatriot Josef Baccay later this month.

Fiabema has made only one senior appearance for Tromso but did enough in a trial at Stamford Bridge at the end of last year to earn a three-and-a-half year contract and watched the 3-0 home win over Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, according to the Mirror.

The 16-year-old, who has scored eight times for his country at youth level, has been pictured posing with a Chelsea shirt bearing his name alongside club officials and will join the Blues for a price reported by VG as around £1million plus a share of any future transfer fees.

The deal would continue the investment in youth shown by Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, who put an arm around Fiabema in the dressing room after seeing his side beat the Clarets and is keen to capitalise on the club’s transfer embargo being halved.

Chelsea were given a two-window ban by FIFA in February for breaching rules on signing young players but are allowed to bring in players this month following a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling in December that reduced the punishment to one window.

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They made Mateo Kovacic’s transfer permanent in the summer but he was already registered with Chelsea while on loan from Real Madrid last season. This is now their first new addition since Christian Pulisic last January. 

Lampard is also being strongly linked with 18-year-old Lillestrom left-back Josef Baccay, who is managed by the same agency as Fiabema and current Chelsea players Faustino Anjorin, Armando Broja, Levi Colwill and Ike Ugbo. 

Baccay has made six senior appearances for the Norwegian second tier side since signing a professional contract in 2018, as well as appearing for Norway Under-18s.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has the same representatives and scored Chelsea’s third in their latest victory, offered a thumbs-up as he welcomed Fiabema for a photo. 

Chelsea already have a Norwegian contingent including Tore Andre Flo, who scored 34 Premier League goals for them between 1997 and 2000 and now works as a club development coach, and Norway women’s team stars Guro Reiten, Maren Mjelde and Maria Thorisdottir.

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Lampard has made little secret of his willingness to enlist new recruits in the January transfer window, having led one of the youngest squads in the Premier League to fourth in the table in his first season in charge.

The Blues fielded their youngest ever starting line-up in the Premier League in the 2-2 draw at home to fellow high-fliers Sheffield United on August 31, when a team with an average age of 24 years and 158 days relied on then 21-year-old Tammy Abraham for both of their goals.

England striker Abraham has 13 goals in the top flight this season and has shone alongside the likes of 21-year-old midfielders Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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