Lesley Ugochukwu

Lesley Ugochukwu
Ugochukwu in 2025
Personal information
Full name Chimuanya Lesley Ugochukwu[1]
Date of birth (2004-03-26) 26 March 2004[2]
Place of birth Rennes, France
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Galatasaray
(on loan from Burnley)
Number 18
Youth career
2010–2011 ASPTT Rennes
2011–2012 Cercle Paul Bert
2012–2021 Rennes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020 Rennes II 5 (0)
2021–2023 Rennes 47 (1)
2023–2025 Chelsea 12 (0)
2024–2025 → Southampton (loan) 26 (1)
2025– Burnley 35 (3)
2026– → Galatasaray (loan) 2 (0)
International career‡
2021–2022 France U18 9 (1)
2022–2023 France U19 9 (2)
2024 France U20 1 (0)
2023– France U21 12 (0)
2024 France Olympic 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10:38, 28 May 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 10:03, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

Chimuanya Lesley Ugochukwu (// ⓘ; born 26 March 2004) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Süper Lig club Galatasaray, on loan from EFL Championship club Burnley.

Club career

Rennes

Ugochukwu made his professional debut for Rennes on 25 April 2021, replacing Steven Nzonzi in a 5–1 Ligue 1 win against Dijon.[4]

Chelsea

Ugochukwu warming up for Chelsea in 2023

On 1 August 2023, Ugochukwu signed for Chelsea on a seven-year contract, with a club option for an additional year.[5] The transfer fee paid to Rennes was reported as up to £23.1 million.[6] On 13 August, he made his debut for the club, coming on as a substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Liverpool in the Premier League.[7]

Southampton (loan)

On 16 August 2024, Ugochukwu joined English side Southampton on a season-long loan.[8] He made his debut for the club on 28 August 2024 in a 5–3 away victory against Cardiff City in the EFL Cup.[9] On 19 April 2025, he scored his first goal for the club in stoppage time in a 1–1 draw with West Ham United, which was Ugochukwu's first Premier League goal.[10]

Burnley

Ugochukwu playing for Burnley in 2026

On 6 August 2025, Ugochukwu signed a five-year contract with fellow English side Burnley.[11] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa on 5 October 2025.[12]

Galatasaray (loan)

On 15 July 2026, he signed on loan with Galatasaray until the end of the 2026–27 season.[13][14]

International career

In June 2024, he took part in the Maurice Revello Tournament with France.[15]

Personal life

Born in France, Ugochukwu is of Igbo Nigerian descent and holds dual nationality.[16][17] Ugochukwu is the nephew of former Rennes and Nigerian centre-back Onyekachi Apam.[18]

Career statistics

As of match played 24 May 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Rennes 2020–21 Ligue 1 3000—0030
2021–22 Ligue 1 18100—4[c]0221
2022–23 Ligue 1 26020—7[d]0350
Total 47120—110601
Chelsea 2023–24[19] Premier League 1200030—150
Southampton (loan) 2024–25[20] Premier League 2612030—311
Burnley 2025–26[21] Premier League 3532010—383
Galatasaray (loan) 2026–27 Süper Lig 0000—0000
Career total 120560701101445
  1. ↑ Includes Coupe de France, FA Cup
  2. ↑ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa League

References

  1. ↑ "2024/25 Updated Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 7 February 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "Lesley Ugochukwu". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  3. ↑ "Lesley Ugochukwu". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Résultat et résumé Rennes – Dijon, Ligue 1 Uber Eats, 34e journée, Dimanche 25 Avril 2021". L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  5. ↑ "Ugochukwu becomes a Blue". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "Chelsea transfer news: Blues agree £23.1m deal to sign Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes". Sky Sports. 29 July 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Boswell, Zinny (13 August 2023). "Chelsea 1–1 Liverpool: Mauricio Pochettino's side fight back to draw his first Premier League game in charge". Sky Sports. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Lesley Ugochukwu completes loan move to Saints". Southampton FC. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. ↑ Mitchelmore, Ian (28 August 2024). "Cardiff City 3–5 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  10. ↑ Drury, Sam (19 April 2025). "West Ham United 1–1 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  11. ↑ "Burnley clinch Ugochukwu signing". Burnley F.C. 6 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "Aston Villa 2–1 Burnley (Oct 5, 2025) Game Analysis". ESPN. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  13. ↑ "Lesley Chimuanya Ugochukwu Galatasaray'da!". Galatasaray S.K. 15 July 2026. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Galatasaray'a hoş geldin Lesley Ugochukwu!". Galatasaray S.K. 15 July 2026. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Festival International Espoirs Football Tournoi Maurice Revello Toulon". tournoimauricerevello.com (in French). Maurice Revello Tournament. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  16. ↑ "Rohr Identifies 16 Year Old Rennes Midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu As Alternative To Ndidi". 8 September 2020.
  17. ↑ "Lesley UGOCHUKWU". unfp.org. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  18. ↑ Christenson, Marcus (7 October 2021). "Next Generation 2021: 60 of the best young talents in world football". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  19. ↑ "Games played by Lesley Ugochukwu in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  20. ↑ "Games played by Lesley Ugochukwu in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  21. ↑ "Games played by Lesley Ugochukwu in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
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