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The Chelsea star DELETS the club from his social media account after struggling for playing time during his loan spell away from Stamford Bridge.

Posted on by Bobb
The Chelsea star DELETS the club from his social media account after struggling for playing time during his loan spell away from Stamford Bridge.

  • Leslie Ugochukwu joined Southampton on loan from Chelsea back in August.
  • The midfielder struggled for game time, playing just six times in the league.
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WILL PICKWORTH

Published: | Updated:

Chelsea loanee Leslie Ugochukwu has removed all mentions of Southampton from his Instagram account.

Ugochukwu, 20, joined the Blues in the summer of 2023 from Rennes for a fee rising to £23.1 million, with the midfielder a highly rated France youth international.

He played just 15 times in all competitions last season, six of which were starts, and joined the Saints in August in a bid to get more playing time.

However, Ugochukwu has struggled to make the grade, playing just six times in the Premier League for Russell Martin’s side.

The 20-year-old was absent from Southampton’s 1-1 draw against Brighton on Friday night and Martin did not explain why he was left out.

And now the Chelsea loanee has apparently removed all mention of the south coast club from his Instagram page, in what some see as a protest against his apparent lack of playing time.

The Chelsea star DELETS the club from his social media account after struggling for playing time during his loan spell away from Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea star has removed all mentions of his loan club from his social media account.

Leslie Ugochukwu (second from right) joined Southampton on loan from the Blues in the summer.

Leslie Ugochukwu (second from right) joined Southampton on loan from the Blues in the summer.

He struggled for playing time and eagle-eyed fans did not notice a single mention of the club on his page.

He struggled for playing time and eagle-eyed fans did not notice a single mention of the club on his page.

Eagles Saints supporters pointed out that there was no mention of Southampton on his page.

His bio features Chelsea and all his photographs show either him playing for the Blues or France, with a few other personal shots thrown in as well.

Ugochukwu can now look for a new club in January, with his last league appearance coming in September when Martin’s side lost 3-1 to rivals Bournemouth.

On that fateful day, Ugochukwu was picked up at half-time and Martin later allowed his team to spoil the game in the first half.

“I was so hurt by the game in the first half after the first goal,” he fumed. “I didn’t recognize our team.

“Normally I’m proud of them for the courage they showed, but there was no aggression, no courage, no intensity of play here. Looking around, I saw self-preservation mode on the field.

“I didn’t recognize the body language. I didn’t like it one bit. They showed a lot of fight and courage in the second half, but it was too late.”

Ugochukwu played just 99 minutes in the next seven league matches, although he did start in Saints’ League Cup fourth round win over Stoke City on 29 October.

Ugochukwu's profile was only tagged Chelsea and there were no photos of him at Southampton.

Ugochukwu’s profile was only tagged Chelsea and there were no photos of him at Southampton.

Ugochukwu has played just 99 minutes in the league since his last start against Bournemouth.

Ugochukwu has played just 99 minutes in the league since his last start against Bournemouth.

Russell Martin tore apart his team's performance that day and Ugochukwu appears to be out of favor.

Russell Martin tore apart his team’s performance that day and Ugochukwu appears to be out of favor.

The midfielder’s actions are a far cry from his positive comments when he joined the club in the summer ahead of what he hoped would be a breakthrough campaign.

“I had an injury last season that kept me off the field,” Ugochukwu explained. “This season I wanted to get more experience and play more minutes.

“I said that Southampton is a great opportunity for me to prove myself. I had this opportunity in the Champions League with Rennes.

“I played a couple of games in the Europa League. I have some experience. Even last season, playing for a big club like Chelsea gave me a taste of what the top level is like.

“I know what to do and I think I’m here now to work really hard and give everything for the fans and myself.”

Ugochukwu will face further disappointment in the coming week as the midfielder is unavailable for Southampton’s match against his parent club Chelsea on Wednesday.