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Chelsea Youth Development

Video of Loanee Mason Mount’s Goal In Lampard’s Managerial Debut Win

By Chelsea Youth Development, Former Chelsea PlayersNo Comments

Frank Lampard’s Derby kicked off the start of the Championship season against Derby and it was Chelsea loanee, Mason Mount who struck the first blow for the Rams who scored a late, late winner.

Mount played the whole 90 minutes of his Derby debut and looked solid throughout, his strike got the Rams up and running after they fell behind to a Bodvarsson goal.

This helped set up a stunning stoppage-time winner, to give Lampard a winning start to his managerial career.

Lampard’s first competitive game as a manager was against a manager he will know well from his playing day’s. Former Chelsea assistant manager Paul Clement was in the dugout falling victim to a bit of a smash and grab raid from the Rams.

Derby loanee Mount is a talented member of the Chelsea academy. It is no surprise that Lampard wanted to take the attacking midfielder who has been likened to the Blues legend with him to Pride Park (or whatever they call it now).

He had this to say about his debut

Yeah, the manager has put a lot of faith in, we got our rewards for keeping going. It is unbelievable to score on debut, this (Derby) is a great club.

Mount has yet to play for the Chelsea first team, however, he has been part of the all-conquering FA Youth Cup teams over the years. A year in the Championship could be a good building block for a future career at Stamford Bridge or somewhere else at the top of the game.

The season has literally only just started, but it is an exciting highlight of the opening weekend.

With his time at Chelsea and Gianfranco Zola the new assistant manager, I think we can look forward to more than a few Blues youngsters getting the opportunity to shine in the Championship at Derby.

Best of luck to Mason Mount, Frank Lampard and Paul Clement for the season ahead.

Who Is Ethan Ampadu – Profile and Video Showreel Of Chelsea Youngster

By Chelsea Youth DevelopmentNo Comments

Chelsea gave a debut to a seventeen-year-old against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup, so who is Ethan Ampadu and what do Chelsea fans need to know?

Firstly we know that he is very young. It is scary to start seeing players in Blue who were born in this millennium, it makes us feel very old.

Who is Ethan Ampadu?

Apart from looking similar to Nathan Ake and David Luiz, Ampadu is a highly rated midfielder who has come from a League Two academy to the Chelsea first team squad in just over a year.

 

Ampadu is a product of the club’s talent scouting network, rather than the club’s academy. Having just turned 17, Ampadu joined Chelsea from Exeter this summer for an undisclosed compensation fee from League Two side Exeter.

He made his debut in League Two at just 15 last season featuring 13 times before he was prised away by Chelsea. Ampadu had during that time got the attention of a number of clubs including Manchester United so it is good to see the club won at least some transfer tug-of-wars in pre-season.

Conte described him before the game as

“Ampadu is a young player, but I think he has good quality,” the Italian said. “He has good prospects to become a Chelsea player. He’s strong physically, with good technique and personality.

 

Personal Life And Facts

Ampadu’s father was a professional footballer who started at Arsenal and played hundreds of football league games for Swansea and Exeter. His background means Ampadu also has a lot of choice internationally. He is eligible internationally for England, Ghana, Ireland and Wales. 

Having been called up to the Welsh national side in May though, he could be about to pin his future to the Welsh flag.

Now let’s finish the profile of this defensive midfielder with the all-important who is Ethan Ampadu videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo3koT9EM9A

 

 

Can Jeremie Boga Be The Moses Of 2017/2018

By Chelsea Youth DevelopmentNo Comments

The injury to Pedro has given Jeremie Boga an opportunity to stake his claim in the Chelsea squad. After Ospina flew out recklessly to punch the ball from outside the penalty area during the friendly Pedro was unable to continue and Jeremie Boga lit up the Birds Nest with a high energy performance.

He was strong, powerful and quick to dance past defenders and start counter attacks, in 65 minutes he played more than most in the game and was a strong contender for man of the match.

With Pedro likely to be out at least for the bulk of pre-season this gives Boga a chance to establish himself as a viable option for Antonio Conte. Whilst it is unlikely that he would get into a team with everybody fit he offers something different and could definitely offer something during a long Premier League and European season.

His youth and energy kept Arsenal on the back foot and alleviated pressure numerous times during the Arsenal friendly and if he can get a couple of good pre-season showings under his belt, Conte may end up sharing our convictions.

Jeremie Boga The Victor Moses of 2017/2018

There is precedence for this with Victor Moses last season.

This time last season it seemed likely that Victor Moses would like the last few seasons report for training, do a little bit of pre-season then disappear on loan for the rest of the season.

However last year he did enough to convince Conte that he had something to offer and within a month of the start of the season Conte switched the formation made Moses a right wing back and a key member of the starting XI.

Whilst this pathway will be harder for Jeremie Boga it would be great to see a member of the youth team break through in pre-season and challenge our superstars for a place in the side.

After all it looks like with opportunity Boga could himself be a superstar and maybe it will be his name on the back of your next Chelsea shirt

Chelsea Youth Development under Antonio Conte

Chelsea Youth Development Boosted By Injury & Transfer Market

By Chelsea Youth DevelopmentNo Comments

Chelsea youth development or the lack of it in the first team is famous. It is continuously debated by fans, bloggers, pundits, journalists and former players.

Chelsea fans wants to see Chelsea youth players break into the first team and contribute to a winning team, however, are unsure if there will ever be the right environment for it to happen for even the most talented player.

Chelsea have one of the best youth set-ups in the country but it has yet to bear fruit for us. It has been successful in creating dozens of professional players plying their trade elsewhere or out on loan. Yet not since John Terry has Chelsea youth development had something to hang its hat on.

Instead of using the youth team managers have repeatedly bought in ready made players. Transfer inflation and competition may be about to change that in the squad positions.

Why Chelsea Youth Development Is A Challenge

Talent is sculpted over time before it is ready for display. So far Chelsea have invested heavily in chisels but failed to find the right subject or the bravery to put it on display.

Picking young players is a calculated gamble by managers. Even last season when there was nothing to play for, experience trumped youth development. This is fuelled by the pressure for results. Which has  created a culture where this is more likely to be punished than rewarded.

What Could Have Changed For Conte

A lack of investment in marquee players during the transfer window due to rampant price inflation and competitiveness for top players, has created an opportunity for Chelsea youth.

Against Leicester injury and lack of alternatives meant that there were four Chelsea youth products sat next to John Terry on the bench.

Two came on as substitutes as we cruised to victory. This could be something we see throughout the season. For the first time in years, we could see multiple youth team products making 10 -15 league appearances in supporting roles.

Hopefully one or two will be able to break through and claim a regular starting place. This is a dream that seems far away at the moment. Yet a few good performances from a prospect and who knows.

We are not there yet but the future of Chelsea youth development looks bright under Antonio Conte in our present set of circumstances.