Mansfield Town sign former Champions League player

The 26-year-old began his career as a youth team scholar at Sheffield United, before joining Premier League champions Chelsea for £1m in 2007.

He was a member of the Blues’ youth team that reached the FA Youth Cup final under Paul Clement in 2008.

The former England U16s’ captain made his Chelsea debut in a Champions League win against MSK Zilina in November 2010.

After a brief loan spell at Southampton, Mellis signed for Barnsley, where he was a consistent performer in the Championship, making over 70 appearances in a two year spell.

In July 2014, the versatile midfielder moved to then-Championship outfit Blackpool, before enjoying spells at Oldham Athletic and Bury in League One.

“The signing of Jacob, following a number of days of negotiations with his representatives, caps a fantastic week for Mansfield Town Football Club,” said chief executive officer Carolyn Radford.

“There is no doubt that the hard work and determination of manager Steve Evans has resulted in us being able to sign a number of outstanding footballers and we hope that their performances in the new season can enlighten us all.

“Hopefully, at this moment in time, these signings will give our supporters something to really look forward to ahead of the new season.”

Manager Steve Evans said: “This is another player who I don’t really want to talk about what he will do, because his performances will need to stand up on merit.

“I watched the kid in spells last season at Bury, where he was simply stunning. It has to be said that at times he stood out like a lighthouse on a dark ocean.

“He is very gifted, has a wonderful left foot and our supporters will quickly realise why this kid was subject to moving to Chelsea for over a million pounds, and intelligent and creative for Barnsley in their last Championship campaign.”

The signing of Jacob Mellis is subject to EFL ratification.