Atlanta United says goodbye to homegrown Caleb Wiley, who's on his way to Premier League team Chelsea
London-based Premier League team Chelsea has signed United States left-back Caleb Wiley from Atlanta United on a six-year contract.
The 19-year-old Wiley is joining for a fee that is reported to be worth $11 million.
“Caleb epitomizes the pathway that we envisioned when we started this club,” Atlanta United Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said in a press release.
Wiley grew up in Morningside and joined the Atlanta United Academy at age 11 as a member of the club’s inaugural under-12 team in 2016. He made his pro debut at age 15 on the franchise’s reserve team Atlanta United 2 in 2020, then moved up to the main club at age 17 in 2022.
Wiley made his senior debut for the U.S. national team against Mexico last October. He is currently in Paris to play for the U.S. in the Olympic soccer tournament. The U.S. opens on Wednesday against host France, then meet New Zealand and Guinea. The top two nations in each group advance to the quarterfinals.
Wiley is reportedly expected to spend next season on loan at Strasbourg, which is part of the same ownership group as Chelsea.
“Now he can continue his career at a top club in Europe,” Bocanegra said. “We wish Caleb the best in this next challenge of his career and look forward to following his journey. For our club moving forward, we’re continuing our efforts to immediately reinvest in the team during the Summer Transfer Window.”
WABE’s Patrick Saunders contributed to this report.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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