Celtic are closing in on the signing of Chelsea sensation Landon Emenalo. The rising teenage star was in Glasgow during the week and was given a VIP tour of the club's Lennoxtown training facilities as well as Celtic Park.
Boss Martin O'Neill has identified the left-back as an ideal back-up for Kieran Tierney and Celts are keen to rubber-stamp a move in time for next week's Champions League play-off against LASK.
Who is Landon Emenalo?
The 18-year-old was born in Tucson, Arizona on January 18 2008. He became a regular in Chelsea's Under-18s after signing his scholarship in July 2023 following a spell with the AS Monaco academy and penned his first professional contract last year. He has trained regularly with the top team squad over the last 12 months.
His father, Michael, was director of football at Stamford Bridge between 2011-2017. The former Nigerian international - who played at the 1994 World Cup - now works in the same role for the Saudi Pro League. His mother, Erin Fahey, was also a goalkeeper for the first professional women's team in the USA, Washington Freedom. Big brother Sebastien is a Great Britain youth international basketball player.
First-team experience and versatility
Emenalo has yet to make his senior debut for Chelsea. He was first named on the bench in April 2025 for Chelsea's Europa Conference League quarter-final win over Legia Warsaw and was also an unused substitute against Liverpool on the opening day of last season. The teenager was later included in the Champions League matchday squad for the home clash with Paphos. He caught the eye of new boss Xabi Alonso this summer, starting three friendlies during Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia and Asia.
The left-back has represented both England and the United States at youth international level, and has been capped five times by the Three Lions at Under-18s. He's also been a standout in the Premier League 2 and UEFA Youth League, making 37 appearances for the Reserves across all competitions last season. His crowning moment came in the 5-0 demolition of Newcastle, bagging two assists.
He played regularly as a midfielder as he progressed through Chelsea's academy. He has also demonstrated his versatility by playing in central defence for the Under-21s and Under-19s, but has mainly been deployed at left-back.
Injury history and Chelsea's view
After moving back to London from France, Emenalo ruptured his ACL while playing for a local amateur team as he waited to be registered by Chelsea's academy. After undergoing surgery, he then suffered from Osgood-Schlatter's pain in both knees as he went through a growth spurt but eventually overcame those physical problems.
Chelsea state on their official website that "he is a composed player who deals well with being under pressure and with high intensity situations." Under contract until 2031, it's clear the Blues believe Emenalo has a huge future in the game.
Chelsea legend John Terry tipped the highly-rated starlet to make the grade with the Blues. He raved: "Landon is a very good footballer. I think he plays for the first team and comes through. He currently plays left-back, he's not a left-back, he can play left centre-half, he prefers to play in midfield as a six. A big future, a really good player."
