Women welcome Chelsea youngster Ashanti Akpan on loan
Southampton FC Women are delighted to announce the signing of midfielder Ashanti Akpan on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The 19-year-old arrives from the eight-time Women’s Super League champions to bolster Saints’ midfield, having already featured in the second tier and made her Blues debut across her career so far.
Akpan has risen through the Chelsea ranks since the age of seven and won the FA Youth Cup and WSL Academy Cup during her time in youth football, before making her senior debut in March 2023.
She signed professional terms in December 2023, but more recently gained full senior experience with her first loan to WSL2 side Birmingham last season.
The England youth international made 15 appearances in all competitions across a 2024/25 campaign that saw second-placed Birmingham narrowly miss out on promotion.
Looking to take the next step in her career with Saints, Akpan said: “I’m very excited for the season ahead. I feel like another season in the [second tier] will do me a lot of good and allow me to improve a lot as a player.
“I’m really excited to play in front of the fans at St Mary’s, it will be nice to hear the crowd behind us because I think the support throughout the season will be really important for us.”
