We all know that extremely talented Chelsea youth players can struggle to make the breakthrough at Stamford Bridge.

There’s a hope that new Blues boss Maurizio Sarri could be the man that uses the exciting prospects more and give them a legitimate pathway into the starting eleven.

One youngster that has surely caught Sarri’s eye is Ethan Ampadu.

The seventeen year old made seven appearances for the first-team last term, including one in the Premier League. He’s one of those smart, ball playing centre halves that can easily step up and play as a holding midfielder as his composure on the ball is that good.

Unlike so many other prestigious young Chelsea talents, Ethan hasn’t been loaned out for this campaign. It’s thought that Chelsea legend and now Derby County manager Frank Lampard wanted to bring him to Pride Park on a season long loan but Sarri blocked the move.

Now some will say that Ampadu won’t get enough game time this season at The Bridge and it would have been better to see him go out on loan and play regularly in The Championship.

I’m not sure that’s true and clearly Maurizio agrees.

Having the youngster training and learning from the likes of David Luis, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill and Jorginho on a daily basis is surely a great thing for one so young.

He can also see Andreas Christiansen in the ranks, as the Dane has worked his way through the Chelsea youth system and been out on loan before becoming a member of the first team squad. That should inspire the young defender.

Ethan won his third cap for Wales last night and impressed as he started and assisted for his team against the Republic of Ireland.

After the game, Wales manager Ryan Giggs singled out the teenager for some special praise:

“Ethan is a talented player. Even more so than that, as a person, he’s so balanced and mature for such a young player. He’ll be a magnificent player.”

That’s a huge compliment from another former prodigy, his performance also shows he can cut it with the big boys in serious encounters.

I hope that Maurizio Sarri can give the young central defender/defensive midfielder some game time during this campaign.

I’d imagine that getting back into the top four of the Premier League thus automatically qualifying for next year’s Champions League will be Chelsea’s top priority this term. They’ve started off well and are exciting to watch. Ampadu’s ball playing style certainly seems to suit Sarri’s.

Now the league campaign is the biggie for The Blues and that should see them playing with a pretty settled line-up.

You then also have the League Cup and the Europa League to contend with and that could provide the Chelsea coach good opportunities to field young players like Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi. They’d learn very quickly if they were being exposed to decent European opposition and playing against teams like PAOK Salonika, Bate Borisov and Hungarian side MOL Vidi.

Ampadu already plays like a composed and intelligent professional. He’s not easily flustered and he seems to relish the big occasions. The Welsh international is learning all the time and he’s improving. He can see what’s happening around him and read the game, allowing him to win the ball back for his team and pass it forward. Sarri likes quick transitions which sees the ball going forward as quickly as possible and that tactic plays to Ethan’s strengths.

If Maurizio Sarri really wants to get the best out of Chelsea’s fine youth academy, then hopefully he’ll see great potential in Ethan Ampadu and have him featuring in the cup competitions before the festive period.

After that comes January and then if his chances are limited, then it might be the ideal time to send him out on loan to the Championship but give him a chance at Stamford Bridge first.

 

 

Posted on September 7th, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article