By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nigeria-eligible midfielder Ashanti Akpan has completed a season-long loan move to Southampton FC Women from Chelsea as she looks to continue her development in senior football.
The 20-year-old, who has represented Chelsea since the age of seven, progressed through the club’s academy ranks, winning the FA Youth Cup and WSL Academy Cup before making her senior debut in March 2023.
She signed her first professional contract with the Blues later that year.
Akpan, eligible to represent both England and Nigeria at international level, gained her first taste of regular senior action last season during a loan spell with Birmingham City in the Women’s Championship.
Speaking after her unveiling at Southampton, Akpan expressed excitement about the opportunity.
“I’m very excited for the season ahead. I feel like another season in the Championship will do me a lot of good and allow me to improve a lot as a player,” she said. “I’m really excited to play in front of the fans at St Mary’s because their support will be very important for us.”
Southampton will be hoping the Chelsea midfielder’s versatility and experience across youth and senior levels strengthens their push in the new campaign.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
