Daily Mail | Chelsea’s Ben Elliott switches international allegiance to Cameroon after representing England Under 16s, with the 20-year-old part of Rigobert Song and Samuel Eto’o’s plan to recruit players with dual nationality
- Ben Elliott has been among Chelsea’s most promising Under 21 stars this season
- He is now set to make his full international debut for Rigobert Song’s Cameroon
- It comes after the 20-year-old previously represented England Under 16s
Chelsea youngster Ben Elliott has switched international allegiance from England to Cameroon after a charm offensive from the African nation’s manager Rigobert Song and federation president Samuel Eto’o.
Highly-rated academy midfielder Elliott, 20, is now on course to become a full international before making his professional debut after being included in Cameroon’s senior squad for their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double header against Namibia at the end of this month.
Elliott joined Chelsea aged eight, was part of the academy group that later included the likes of Jamal Musiala and Tino Livramento, and represented England at under-16 level before a serious knee injury contributed to his progress for club and country being interrupted for more than two years from the age of 15.
However, he has overcome that setback to resume his Chelsea career and been one of their standout performers at Under 21s level this season.
His displays earned him a place in Graham Potter’s 25-man Chelsea squad for their mid-season training camp in Abu Dubai, a trip which helped put him on the radar of Cameroon officials.
The presence of his full name – Benjamin Njongoue Elliott – on the team sheet for Chelsea’s friendly against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi played a part in alerting them to his Cameroon roots.
Cameroon had previously been in nearby Qatar for the World Cup.