Fankaty Dabo
Fankaty Dabo (born 11 October 1995 in London, England) is a versatile defender currently playing in Chelsea's academy teams.
| Fankaty Dabo | ||||||||
| Full Name | Fankaty Sheikam Dabo | |||||||
| Date of Birth | 11 October 1995 | |||||||
| Age | 29 years | |||||||
| Place of Birth | London, England | |||||||
| Position | Defender | |||||||
| Nationality | English | |||||||
| Current club | Chelsea | |||||||
| Previous club/s | - | |||||||
Contents |
Youth career
Fankaty joined Chelsea's academy as an Under-12 and made his Under-18 debut as an Under-15 at the back end of the 2010-11 season, scoring in his first appearance against Charlton Athletic before making further appearances during 2011-12. Despite being commonly used as a defender in the Under-16 team, his early Under-18 outings came as an attacking wide player.
However, he returned to right-back on a full-time basis as a scholar in 2012-13 and quickly established himself as a leader and an integral part of the team. Later on in the season he made the step up to the Under-21 ranks, and once again did himself justice with a series of impressive performances. He continued to impress in 2013-14, staking a claim for regular starts at Under-21 level. He was a regular feature under Dermot Drummy as the team won the national title and also played a key role in the FA Youth Cup success at Under-18 level.
He continued his dependable and reliable displays as an Under-21 regular in 2014-15, dealing with the reduced schedule in being too old to play Youth Cup or UEFA Youth League football. He was also invited to join in with the full England squad for a training session during a mid-season Under-20 call-up. A regular captain of the Under-21s in 2015-16, he earned well-overdue recognition when he was handed a first-team squad number in April 2016 ahead of a trip to Swansea City, but he wasn't able to feature in the matchday squad.
International
Fankaty has been capped by England at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-20 levels. He remains eligible for Sierra Leone.
Career statistics
| Season | Under-18 | Euro U19 | Under-21 | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2010-11 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2011-12 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2012-13 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| 2013-14 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 35 | 3 |
| 2014-15 | - | - | - | - | 21 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| 2015-16 | - | - | - | - | 23 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Total | 42 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 115 | 5 |
(Statistics accurate as of the end of the 2015-16 season)
Career honours
- 2010 Sky Sports Victory Shield (England Under-16s)
- 2013-14 FA Youth Cup
- 2013-14 Under-21 Premier League
Contract
Fankaty signed a new contract in February 2015 and it expires at the end of the 2016-17 season.1
