Thomas Tuchel vowed to keep the path to the first team open for academy prospects at Chelsea, but warned them to expect a ‘bumpy’ road and loan spells elsewhere in a bid to prove their value.

The Blues have become famous for accumulating talent, both in their senior team and in a productive youth system.

In recent years, more and more local stars have had the opportunity to show off their talents, with Tuchel saying he intended to seek inspiration internally before launching into international artists ready to go. use.

What was said?

“Also in my last clubs it was always like this, the door is always open in my office for coaches and academy officials,” said former Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel in Chelsea. official site.

“I love watching the training sessions and watching the internal matches on the other academy grounds, although unfortunately that is not possible at the moment because we are in the bubble and have different zones.

“In my opinion it’s always the backbone of any club and the more guys you have that can get into the first team the better for the club because it’s something that the supporters love it and these boys normally absolutely care about Chelsea, because they live that spirit over the years and years.

“On the other hand, they also choose the more difficult path. Succeeding at Chelsea, succeeding in Paris, succeeding in Dortmund, is one of the most difficult challenges you can face. Sometimes the path is not only straight, sometimes it is bumpy, sometimes you go on loan, but I like that they accept the challenge of being successful here.

“I think the boys here absolutely want to be successful as Chelsea players. Not only Premier League players, but they want to be Chelsea players, and that’s the spirit we want to feel. When we feel the spirit, in combination of course with the talent, we will push them. “

Who inspires the youth of Stamford Bridge?

Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Reece James and Billy Gilmour all continued to see playing time for Chelsea this season.

Another highly regarded academy graduate is Callum Hudson-Odoi, while Andreas Christensen left his native Denmark in 2012 to join the Blues.

Frank Lampard showed considerable faith in youth during his reign in West London, Tuchel now seeking to do the same.

How many players has Chelsea loaned?

The Blues have had, given the number of registered players, to find playing time elsewhere for a number of established and developing stars.

In the 2020-21 campaign, the The Premier League heavyweights have sanctioned 31 loan moves.

Among those taking spells away from Stamford Bridge are Danny Drinkwater, Marco van Ginkel, Ross Barkley, Victor Moses, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Michy Batshuayi.

Promising youngsters such as Fikayo Tomori, Malang Sarr, Conor Gallagher and Ethan Ampadu have also been allowed to spread their wings in switches made across Europe.

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