Chelsea midfielder signs new contract at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have confirmed young midfielder Charlie Webster has signed a one-year contract extension with the club.

The 20-year-old did see his deal with the Blues set to run out this summer, but he has now signed on for a further 12 months to avoid the risk of losing him on a free transfer. Webster has spent this season on loan with Dutch club Heerenveen.

The Cobham graduate has been with the club since Under-10 level and was a mainstay in the academy before moving to Holland on loan. Webster has never made a first-team appearance for the Blues but was named on the bench for the Carabao Cup tie against Brentford back in December 2021.

There are other members of the Chelsea academy, whether they are out on loan elsewhere or back at Cobham, who will be hoping to follow a similar path to Webster in terms of an extension. Teddy Sharman-Lowe, who has been with the first-team for some matches this season, sees his contract due to expire this summer.

Josh Brooking, Richard Olise, Sam Rak-Sakyi, Kai Crampton and Noah Hay also see their deals expire later this year. All of these youngsters, as well as Webster, will be inspired to see how the likes of Alfie Gilchrist have fared since being promoted to the senior side this season.

Gilchrist scored his first-ever senior goal for the Blues in Monday night's demolition of Everton after breaking into the first-team earlier in the campaign. The boyhood Chelsea supporter's performances have caught the eye so much that the club rewarded him with a new contract until 2026 earlier in the month, with the option of a further year.