Time to Play Ryan Bertrand
Ashley Cole is a fantastic player and rightly our first choice left back, however I think the pressure of playing every single game and the rigours that involves have finally started to affect his consistency.
Therefore I think it is time for academy player Ryan Bertrand a few Premier League starts in his place to rest Cole and develop his long term replacement.
With Ashley Cole due to serve a suspension I think we should throw Bertrand into the mix against Manchester United.
Bertrand may not have made many appearances in the Chelsea first team, however he is not inexperienced having made nearly 146 appearances in the English League system particularly at the Championship level.
He was particularly popular at Norwich where he quickly won over the fans, with some solid performance.
He has made a few appearances for our first team and always looked impressive and with the departure of Yuri Zhirkov and loan of Patrick Van Aanholt he is the established understudy for Ashley Cole.
Therefore it is time to give him a few real opportunities to prove himself against team that lack much of an attacking threat.
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Categories: Youth Team Tags: Chelsea youth, Ryan Bertrand
Josh McEachran Loan Could Be Key To Success!
It looks like Josh McEachran is set to go on loan to Swansea on Monday according to his twitter.
From a fan perspective this is disappointing as we want to see him in a Chelsea shirt but we have to accept that at the moment a handful of fleeting substitute performances will not develop him as a footballer.
Therefore a successful loan could be the key to him realising his potential and force himself into the thoughts of AVB next season.
The shining is example at Chelsea is Daniel Sturridge who used his 6 month spell at Bolton to show his goal scoring prowess and prove he can score regularly in the Premier League.
In order for his loan to be a success it must fit the following criteria
- He must play in the Premier League (check)
- He must start regularly (lets hope so)
- The team he goes to must play passing football (check)
With Swansea a destination then he will go to a Premier League side that play attractive football so the only question is will former CFC coach Brendan Rodgers give him enough starts.
Given his talent I would expect that starts should not be a problem.
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Categories: Youth Team Tags:
Thibaut Courtois: The first signing of the Villa-Boas era
Finally, a month after Villas-Boas was appointed as, Chelsea manager, Chelsea have finally enter the market and the first signing of the Villas-Boas era is imminent. Highly-rated Belgian goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois is undergoing a medical as he edges closer to joining the Blues in a five-year deal.
The signing signals Chelsea’s intent to strengthen for the future, and Courtois will most definitely be a signing for the future.
At 6ft 6in, the 19-year-old keeper is seen as an ideal replacement for Petr Cech. However, he won’t be replacing the current number 1 yet. Courtois himself as admitted that he will be a replacement for the giant Czech.
“It won’t happen in one or two years, but in three, four or five years. I can therefore work on my development in peace” says the Belgian, who has also been likened to Edwin Van der Sar.
The Belgian made 40 appearances last season as Genk won the Belgian league. His impressive performances not only persuaded Chelsea to part with a sum rumoured to be £7.9million, but they have also earned the youngster his first call-up to the senior Belgium squad.
After selling David de Gea to Manchester United, rumours are circulating that Athletico Madrid would be interested in taking the youngster on loan. This loan deal may not be just the one season, it may be more. This will give Courtois the experience and guidance he need to compete at the highest level he can.
The Belgian feells that “It is better for me to go to Atletico, I can learn more in Spain than in Belgium.”
However, many Chelsea fans will fee that the rumoured £7.9m price tag is too much for a goalkeeper, and in a sense I would have to agree. But it’s worth reminding that Manchester United paid £18.5million for a young keeper and Chelsea paid a similar amount for a then young Petr Cech and we all saw that the gamble on Cech paid off. So maybe Courtois is worth a gamble. For those who are not convinced check out the video below, which demonstrates why we brought Courtois.
I believe that the signing of Thibaut Courtois will be a good one, providing he is given the best learning opportunities possible. If we give Courtois the time and when Petr Cech decides to retire or leave, I feel that Courtois will be ready and make a fine keeper.
Categories: Transfer Talk, Youth Team Tags:
Arnesen CFC Reserve Team Raids Continue But No Threat To Youth Development
Since leaving Chelsea at the end of the season Frank Arnesen has wasted no time plundering the Chelsea Reserves on behalf of his new employers Hamburg.
So far Jacopo Sala and Michael Mancienne have followed the Dutchman to Germany and it is rumoured that Gokhan Tore may be on his way to Hamburg as well.
On first glance this may worry Chelsea fans seeing so many young players on their way out of the club, however no matter how much fans crave more first team action those being targeted were unlikely to establish themselves at Chelsea.
Therefore we should happily allow Arnesen to target these players as those with a chance of success at Chelsea are unlikely to move as they would not want to and the club would never agree.
What it does show is that Arnesen still backs the work he did at Chelsea and his own scouting talents. He will no doubt be desperate for one of those on the move will go on to great things to prove his strategy at Chelsea was justified.
It is always sad to see youth players leave as everyone wants to see players they have tracked through the youth ranks develop.
For those who don’t such as Mancienne and Sala I would like to wish you all the best, unless you are playing Chelsea of course.
Categories: Youth Team Tags: Gokhan Tore, Jacopo Sala, Michael Mancienne
Is Sam Hutchinson On The Brink of A Dramatic Injury Comeback?
Last season Sam Hutchinson admitted defeat in his battle against recurring injury problems and announced his retirement from football.
The talented defender had been on the brink of the Chelsea team and had impressed during his solitary start and three substitute appearances for the club.
However Chelsea site TalkChelsea.net are reporting that the defender has been rehabilitating with support from the club and may have returned to training with an eye on a comeback.
Having been involved with the club since his retirement with a view to a coaching career it could be that the craving for a playing career has been too difficult to ignore and all involved with the club would be ecstatic to see him playing soon.
Best of luck to Sam everyone is rooting for you.
For the full story please see TalkChelsea the site who broke the story.
Categories: Youth Team Tags:
