As much as we Chelsea fans are happy with Nemanja Matic coming back home to Stamford Bridge, this situation clearly spells out the rot that is the club’s youth system and agenda. Our impatience with our young players has made us flip that cheque book unnecessarily.
A quick recap on this Matic situation for those still in the dark. Matic was part of the cash plus player payment that aided the acquisition of David Luiz from Benfica. Prior to that, Matic made two appearances for Chelsea. Now you are in the know zone.
Should the youngsters sign for Chelsea or should they opt for a club where their professional growth is guaranteed? Should Chelsea scrap their youth system and opt to elevate their spending prowess? Is the emphasis on winning trophies rendering Chelsea’s youngsters disadvantaged? A million and one questions all aiding the cry of our youngsters in our beloved club.
A point of clarification. I am not opposed to the Matic purchase. Hell yeah, if he is the key to at least one trophy this season, then Jose should sign him as earliest as possible. He is a player of proven quality, mostly his defensive abilities, precision and an admired work rate. With Mourinho’s tactics in mind, he will be a quality buy. A quality pivot player.
Matic purchase is an embarrassing statement with respect to the youth structures and youth development present at Chelsea. It clearly exposes our impatience, lack of trust and an insufficient youth agenda. It is a warning to other youngsters of the treatment they are bound to receive at Chelsea. Is there an established player that rose through the ranks and made a mark in the footballing world from our academy apart from John Terry? Isn’t the answer that obvious?
Embarrassing? In what ways? Let me break it down.
He was a young player seeking an avenue for his professional growth. He signed for Chelsea with that hope in mind. He signed, according to him, with the best club and a club with a better youth system that will aid his professional growth exactly as he had envisioned it. What followed after that is what every youngster experiences at the club.
Were it not for Benfica that opted to invest in time and develop the player, would we be in a dire need of signing him back? Would we be wasting money had we developed the player at the club? The likes of Sturridge, Kakuta, Lukaku, Piazon among others is a clear example of our lack of trust and impatience towards the younger blood. Look at how well Lukaku and Sturridge are performing for other clubs. Don’t you wish they were doing the same at Chelsea?
Lets hope that with Jose Mourinho back in charge of things at Stamford Bridge, this is a problem that gets eliminated in the years to come.
KTBFFH!
~Santus
