The Alumni: Chelsea's Cobham Graduates Continue to Lead The Way
Chelsea's recent performances have lacked an entertaining edge of attacking quality. However, The Cobham graduates have been, and continue to be, the brightest sparks.
Of recent, Chelsea’s performances have lacked that added creative expressive freedom needed not only to win games but to entertain. Yet, following the common motif of the past three seasons Cobham graduates, when given the opportunity, are the catalysts for engaging and controlled performances.
To quickly address one criticism that will inevitably arise from an article talking about predominantly young English players. Primarily, it is not due to nationality that I am praising this group of players, it simply does not matter where they are from. It is the sense of achievement and unification that academy players bring to the squad having worked for years for the sole purpose of playing for the club. It is not about nationality, it is about the journey and that is it.
An analysis of the current academy prospects who are in the team will be the subject of this piece. They have deserved a bit of attention after all.
Mason Mount
It is evident at this point, Chelsea are substantially better when he plays, as are England. Having already created the most Big Chances in the Premier League for Chelsea this season, his omission from the team due to injury made it evidently clear what the team lack when he does not play.
Over the last calendar year, Mount ranks in the top 10% or all Midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for expected assists, shot-creating actions, passes attempted, pass completion, progressive passes, and tackles, let alone being in the top 11% for pressures as well.
Despite this, adding a few more goals would not go amiss. There are still a few things that Mount needs to work on, he is a young player after all. However, he is emblematic of the Chelsea new generation and what an emblem he is. Future Captain without a doubt.
Reece James
See fig.1; Crazy. Reece James has become one of the most defined young players, regardless of position, in European football. Having to rotate with Azpilicueta is, to some, a disappointment but I would argue it is more a testament of Azpilicueta’s ability than anything else. Additionally, Tuchel seems to indulge with playing Reece James a right-sided centre-half, where he has also excelled.
As James returns from a small ankle injury, it will become increasingly clear that the most important two-player combination this season will be between him and Romelu Lukaku. Again, similar to Mason Mount, the side is almost always better when Reece James is playing; recent performances have lacked the attacking creativity that Reece James provides. Upon his return, I expect the number of big chances Chelsea create to increase.
A European Champion, Super Cup Winner, and involved in the international set-up, Reece James is a further example of the quality that Cobham is able to produce.
Andreas Christensen
I am having this one, no apologies made. Having been in the academy for a short period following his move to Chelsea in 2012, Andreas Christensen belonged on the periphery of the first team prior to his two-year loan move to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
He returned having won their Player of the Season award and those around the club were acutely aware that his ceiling was high. However, it has taken time for him to become a first-team regular, but skipping ahead to the present, he is almost nailed on to play. His passing ability and in-game intelligence make him a composed and effective defender. This combined with his seemingly improving physicality makes Christensen one of the better defenders in Europe right now.
His Champions League Final performance has become folkloric. Learning from Thiago Silva and Thomas Tuchel has become a successful antidote to unlocking a level in his game that was previously predicted. Equally, his consistently excellent performances for Denmark further demonstrate that he is a quality player even in a side weaker than Chelsea. A new contract is imminent, fully deserved for a player of his quality.
Trevoh Chalobah
In my opinion, the emergence of Trevor Chalobah has been the most enjoyable part of this Chelsea season thus far. His preseason performances caught the eye of many, but being able to capitalise on these performances with professional consistency has transformed him into one of the finest young defenders in the Premier League at present.
His goal against Crystal Palace is already my moment of the season and I cannot see that changing. A visible display of reaching your life goal is one of the most warming things to witness in general, let alone for a young player who has put in years of hard work to represent the fans and he finally gets there. Beautiful stuff.
There remains plenty of talk about Chelsea being interested in bringing in a central defender. Let’s remain calm, Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, and Andreas Christensen are all out of contract at the end of the season and it would be fair to suggest at least two could potentially leave. Chalobah is clearly the heir to one of them, another may need to be brought in as well, potentially Levi Colwill or perhaps a more established young defender from around Europe.
Regardless, Chalobah currently looks as though he is here for the long term. His composure, technique, aerial ability, and forward-first approach do a lot to help fans like him. Being an academy graduate only adds to the love fans have for him. We could be witnessing the start of something very special, time will tell.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
The original Cobham star boy. The one who proved that the barrier between the academy and first-team can be overcome if the quality and desire are there. His emergence under Sarri led fans to believe that Loftus-Cheek would be one of the permanent fixtures in the Chelsea first team for the next five years minimum.
Injury has been ever-present for Loftus-Cheek, however, a season loan at Fulham that provided him with the game-time needed to find consistent fitness is clearly bearing fruit. His direct attacking involvement at Fulham was far from impressive, but he has adapted upon his Chelsea return to play from deeper and progress forward.
He has become a central entertainer in recent weeks. His technique is exceptional, ghosting past players whilst being able to combat in the air makes him a very difficult player to defend against. In a similar way to Michail Antonio, Loftus-Cheek combines technique with physicality in a way that challenges those who attempt to stop them. Having improved the side every time he has stepped onto the pitch, taking Saul’s place, and once again getting fans on their feet, the Ruben Remontada is what we love to see.
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi has been the player that Chelsea refuses to sell due to the fear of losing a player who has the potential to be one of the world’s best. His emergence under Sarri, like Ruben Loftus-Cheek, excited fans but a ruptured Achilles tendon set him back.
Having struggled since then to nail down a spot in his preferred left-wing position, his future has been in doubt. You add to this the fact that Hudson-Odoi and his team wanted to try and secure a loan move in the final few days of the season suggested that there was significant doubt about his game time this season.
Recently, there has been a lot of discussions saying he has had “plenty of chances”. To be clear, playing and playing in your best position are two different things. The recent performances of Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech in particular suggest to me that Callum deserves his chance on the left as the two previously mentioned have been underwhelming of late.
If Hudson-Odoi fails to take his chances c’est la vie, but he warrants the opportunity to try. Playing as a right-wing-back is just not what he wants or what he or the squad needs. I wanted Chelsea to sell Callum purely from the point of view that he would have a better chance to develop his career elsewhere. Whilst I am still in this camp, despite it being a huge loss for Chelsea, if he gets regular chances in his preferred position he will show exactly why he is so highly rated.
A quality first half against Southampton was merely a peek behind the curtain. If he gets these chances consistently, expect excellence.