Men's football news
Written by: DanielL
Lewes FC are pleased to announce the signing of left back Alex Kpakpé.
The physically strong 21-year-old joins Lewes on a permanent basis, having started the current Isthmian League Premier Division season with Cray Valley PM.
Kpakpé, whose cousins are footballers Steven and Ryan Sessegnon, became a Chelsea scholar at under 14 level and signed his first professional contract with the London club in 2021.
However, illness and injury impacted his game time at Chelsea, and he departed the club before signing for Glasgow Rangers on a six-month deal in 2023.
When his stint in Scotland ended, Kpakpé went on to make his senior non-league debut with step three Hitchin Town in the second half of the 2023-2024 season.
He then moved to Aveley and played on dual registration for other clubs, including Hastings United where he impressed current Lewes manager Craig Nelson when the two sides met each other.
After joining recent training sessions, Kpakpé made his Lewes debut in the 3-3 draw at Hashtag United on 29th November, playing the full 90 minutes in the no. 2 shirt.
“Last year, we played against Alex at Hastings,” said Nelson after that match.
“Every game, we write down the names of players that we feel are good and worth pursuing.
“He’s got a great physical profile and he’s left-footed.
“[Within] the way that we want to play, he can play left centre-half or left back. And he’s good in the air.
“For all the dynamics of teams that we’re going to play against, he fits the bill to be able to fit in where we need him to play, to support the team in winning games of football.
“He’s a great kid. He’s been in training for the last couple of weeks and he’s done really well.”
Departing The Dripping Pan are Jabari Christmas and Clem Asiedu.
Both players joined us over the summer and went on to make 13 and 17 appearances respectively.
We wish both Jabari and Clem well in the next stages of their promising careers.
Image credit: Grant Williams / Aveley FC