The 18-year-old, who signed her first professional contract midway through last season, has been at the club since the age of seven and has experienced much success with the Academy, including lifting the FA Youth Cup in 2021/22 and the FA WSL Academy Cup in 2022/23.

Akpan made her debut for our senior team back in March 2023 when she came off the bench in a 3-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Reading.

The young midfielder has represented England at Under-15, Under-16, Under-17 and Under-18 level, and featured at this summer’s U19 European Championships in Lithuania, where the Young Lionesses reached the semi-final.

She will spend the upcoming campaign on loan in the Championship with Birmingham, who finished fifth in the league last season.

Everyone at Chelsea would like to wish Ashanti every success during her time with Birmingham City.