Chelsea are well into their new season, and just like last year, Enzo Maresca is handing out plenty of debuts and minutes to young players.
The game against Ajax this week was another perfect chance – we had a lead and a man advantage, so the likes of academy midfielder Reggie Walsh got to come on and get a significant chunk of minutes.
Walsh isn’t the last one off the production line – in fact, he risks being overshadowed by some of the incredible talents coming down the line.
Nicoll-Jazuli the next big name to emerge from crazy Cobham talent factor
The Sun today report on one of them – young Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, still just 15, has apparently been “tipped for a blistering career at Stamford Bridge,” and has caught the eye of numerous clubs looking to poach him from our academy.
The fact that there’s so much interest from other teams is a valuable reminder of why we need to keep handing out debuts and minutes to these kids. That’s what sells them on the idea that there really is a pathway to the first team here, and they don’t have to leave to find it.
Just look at Jude Bellingham, the player Nicoll-Jazuli is being compared to stylistically here. Both he and his brother went to Dortmund despite interest from every top team, just because they wanted to be guaranteed games.
In other news…
There’s intense competition for minutes in the first team already – Alejandro Garnacho is in a battle for minutes despite having arrived as a £40m summer signing. That shows how tough it will be for MNJ.
And former Chelsea man Marcel Desailly has said the Blues are a player short of having the firepower to win the league.
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