CHELSEA have signed one of the best 15-year-olds in the country.
And if he is going to emulate his father, a true cult hero for Arsenal, then it will have been worth luring him from Watford.
Mathis Eboue, an attacking midfielder, starred for the Hornets under-21s.
And his move to London is yet another example of how Chelsea want to recruit so many of the country's biggest stars to their academy.
Eboue Junior also played three times for England U-16s.
In fact, he scored the only goal as the Lion Cubs defeated France to win the U16 Challenge Trophy in Spain two months ago.
But what he has achieved at such a young age cannot of course be compared to what his father did during a fifteen-year career.
Emmanuel Eboue, now 41, earned 79 caps for Ivory Coast, mainly as a right back.
But his greatest fame came from 2004 to 2011 at Arsenal.
The legendary then boss Arsène Wenger recruited the smooth asset from the Belgian Bevern.
And while it took Eboue two seasons to become anything like a regular, his effervescent character and bursting runs kept him talking about the terraces.
However, at one point he was booed by the Gunners supporters.
And last month he recalled: 'I came home and cried.
“But that same week a number of fans came to the club to say sorry for that. That was very nice. It meant a lot.”
“'Eboue, don't listen,' they said. 'You know we love you.'”
He eventually left Arsenal – accompanied by a second medal in the Champions League and two in the League Cup – for four years at Galatasaray.
Then followed an ill-fated short spell at Sunderland.
Eboue Senior was banned for a year in 2016 after refusing to pay an agent, leading to the “lowest time” of his playing days.
But eight years later, he cannot help but be applauded by his son's big step forward.
The Premier League applied their rigorous process to protect players who were so young before Eboue Junior's move to Chelsea could go through.
Agreement also had to be reached on compensation to Watford.
But on Friday evening, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano insisted all the paperwork had been done to make it a “completed deal”.
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