5 Chelsea youngsters waiting for the first team

Nathaniel Chalobah was one of the three academy players brought in as substitutes against Leicester City.

Chelsea’s Premier League match against Leicester marked a very important moment for the club. For the first time in its 110 year history, Chelsea fielded 3 academy graduates as substitutes. The day got even better for the fans when Nathaniel Chalobah produced an outrageous no-look backheel assist to set up Victor Moses's goal.

The game against Leicester was a glimpse at what our academy has produced over the past half a decade during which Roman Abramovich has invested millions into the academy. With a state of the art training ground at Cobham that has 33 pitches, 6 of which are premier league standard, the academy has been gaining a bit of much-required traction in the last few years. And it can be seen from the 5 FA youth cups, one U21 Premier League trophy and the back to back UEFA Youth Champions league wins in the last 7 years. 

Here we will look at the players who are lesser known but are filled with a lot of potential to have a crack at the first team. This means that players like Tammy Abraham, Lewis Baker, Dominic Solanke and Charly Musonda and a host of other players who are a part of the 33 man Loan squad will not be touched upon. Also, players like Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ola Aina, Nathaniel Chalobah and Jason Clarke-Salter who have had prominent first team exposure will not be talked about.

Kasey Palmer:

Palmer is currently on loan to Huddersfield Town

The first player and the only one among this group that's out on loan is 19-year-old Kasey Palmer. An attacking midfielder by trade, he scored 16 goals in 30 games last season which helped the team secure a 3rd FA cup on the trot and a 2nd UEFA Youth cup. He has a penchant for scoring crucial goals much like Chelsea's midfield legend Frank Lampard.

The teenager scored in the semi-final against Anderlecht and also scored and assisted in the final against PSG which helped the team lift the trophy. Technically adept and physically dominant, he combines both to good effect and is usually a trouble for his marker because of his quick feet. One of the brightest prospects to come out of England in the recent times, it won't be long until he makes a name for himself.