Published: September 24, 2021 5:16 pm
Last Updated: September 24, 2021 5:19 pm
Chelsea talent Xavier Mbuyamba has taken to social media to re-post fan-captured footage of his involvement ahead of the club’s meeting with Aston Villa during the week.
Who is Xavier Mbuyamba?
Mbuyamba, 19, is a Dutch central defender.
The youngster is a product of the youth system of MVV Maastricht, where he first began to catch the eye of scouts across the continent in making his senior debut at the age of just 16.
In the end, following a further 10 appearances, it was Barcelona who beat out the competition to snag Mbuyamba’s signature, luring the defender to Catalunya to link up with the club’s famed La Masia academy.
To say that the Blaugrana’s plans for the teen didn’t exactly go to plan, though, would be putting it lightly.
Mbuyamba’s stint at the Camp Nou, remarkably, lasted just 12 months, following disagreements between executives at the club regarding his development.
In turn, on the back of a series of broken promises, the Dutchman saw his contract torn up last summer.
This of course opened the door for other suitors to step up, with Chelsea, who had been forced to end their prior interest in his services due to the club’s transfer ban, having quickly swooped.
Mbuyamba went on to put pen to paper on a 3-year deal in West London:
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Xavier Mbuyamba. He has signed until 2023. Learn more about his journey here: https://t.co/Uhna066eKF #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 20, 2020
Despite his somewhat bizarre stint at Barcelona, the stopper’s addition was viewed as a major coup for Chelsea, with Mbuyamba boasting a whole host of impressive defensive traits.
In fact, the 19-year-old’s stature (6ft5) and ability on the ball have even seen him earn early comparisons to Liverpool stalwart Virgil van Dijk.
‘Commentary level 100’
So, it should not come as a major surprise to hear that, over the early weeks of the new season, Mbuyamba’s talents have seen him rewarded by Thomas Tuchel.
It is of course common knowledge that Chelsea were on the lookout for defensive reinforcements throughout the summer window, with Sevilla star Jules Kounde having been hotly tipped for a Stamford Bridge switch.
In the end, however, such a move failed to come to fruition.
In turn, Mbuyamba has been afforded increased exposure to the senior setup in West London, an opportunity which he appears keen to take full advantage of:
A moment I’ve been working towards since joining this incredible club. @ChelseaFC 💙
Truly blessed to be training with the first team this week. Lots to learn and my motivation is on another level right now!
— Xavier Mbuyamba (@XMbuyamba) September 3, 2021
And, as outlined above, on Friday, the up-and-coming stopper has taken to social media once more.
On this occasion, Mbuyamba highlighted fan-captured footage, after being afforded a place on the bench for Chelsea’s EFL Cup downing of Aston Villa on Wednesday.
The clip in question sees the Blues supporter hail the Dutchman’s talents amid his warm-up efforts, with Mbuyamba, in turn, having admitted that the video ‘made my day’:
This made my day!
Commentary level: 💯 @ChelseaFC 💙 https://t.co/LMXS7Uz8Xx
— Xavier Mbuyamba (@XMbuyamba) September 23, 2021
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Chelsea FC | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 5 | 11 | 13 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 5 | 9 | 13 |
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | Everton FC | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5 | -3 | 9 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| 9 | Brentford FC | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 11 | Watford FC | 5 | -2 | 6 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 5 | -3 | 6 |
| 13 | Arsenal FC | 5 | -7 | 6 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 5 | -3 | 5 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 5 | -2 | 4 |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 5 | -3 | 3 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 5 | -7 | 3 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 5 | -7 | 2 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 5 | -6 | 1 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 5 | -12 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 2 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Duffy, Shane | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 2 |
| Rodri | Manchester City | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Struijk, Pascal | Leeds United | 1 | 1 |
| Tanganga, Japhet | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 |
| Barnes, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ward, Joel | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Schar, Fabian | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 2 |
| Stephens, Jack | Southampton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 1 |
| Fornals, Pablo | West Ham United | 1 |
| Torres, Ferran | Manchester City | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
