Words cannot exactly express the joy of watching a youngster come on and shine in a Chelsea blue shirt. It has been a really long time, but I still remember the delight I had watching Joshua McEachran come on against Newcastle and terrorize their back four. We lost that game incredibly, even after a late resurgence attempt by Nicolas Anelka, but the game had etched our memory with promises and hopes that we might just see a youngster rise from the academy into the first team squad, after John Terry. Alas, none of it came good, and our young Josh is still struggling to prove himself with Vitesse, where he is shadowed by the progress made by another promising star – Bertrand Traore.
Through the years, we saw so many youngsters almost making it into the team, but that ‘almost’ brings in no guarantees in the end. Miraslov Stoch, Fabio Borini…there are countless of them. But here we are again, with new hopes, new faces…same old dream. In a way, I have to thank Liverpool, for it was against them that Tomas Kalas made his Chelsea debut, and can anyone of us forget how he dominated an inform Luis Suarez! And this time it is Ruben Loftus Cheek. A Chelsea player since aged 8, this youngster could very well be at the brink of a breakthrough 11 years later!
Apparently, even before his solid display at the Bridge vs Liverpool, Ruben was stripped off his youth team career early, under orders by our manager. Jose believes that this young man is ready for a job among the big men, and has already announced big plans to feature him next season. But wait, there’s more to it. In a post-match interview, Branislav Ivanovic revealed that there are atleast 4 – 5 youngsters who are on the brink of a promotion to the senior squad. Rumoured members include Nathan Ake (who is already on the bench since returning from Reading FC), Izzy Brown, Dom Solanke & Andreas Christensen (already sealed a place on the bench). While I would have loved to watch Patrick Bamford in this list of 5, I am also hopeful of seeing him continue at Middlesbrough next season as they compete in the Premier League, which will be a massive test for the young lad. Hopefully Tomas Kalas will also join him in this quest. A couple others I am looking forward for are Dom Solanke’s super strike partner – Tammy Abraham and our very own Lewin Baker. I really hope Jose has plans for each of them, and soon we might just see a few of them wear our Blue and play infront of the Stamford Bridge faithful with pride!
What do you think about our Young Blues? Do you have a personal favorite among them? Share your thoughts and views in the comments section below, I’d love to hear from you! 🙂
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