"He's got an unbelievable attitude" – John Terry tips 20-year-old to make the grade at Chelsea after Premier League debut
Chelsea great John Terry has backed Alfie Gilchrist to emerge as the next big thing at Stamford Bridge after the centre-back's league debut.
Gilchrist, 20, made his professional debut for the Blues in their 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in front of his home supporters on Wednesday (December 27). He came on as a late substitute for Benoit Badiashile.
Following Chelsea's recent Premier League win, Terry was asked by a fan to name the academy graduate most likely to succeed in the near future. The former Blues captain responded (h/t Daily Mail):
"Alfie Gilchrist, he's a really really good player. He's got an unbelievable attitude. He's been at the club since the age of eight. He performs so well on a daily basis, does everything right. I think he's got a good chance."
Claiming that Gilchrist should go out on loan next season, Terry added:
"I think we spoke about the young players going on loan and I think Alfie's next step is to go on loan next season and then you should see how he does. I'm expecting big things from Alf, expecting him to play hopefully a game or two as the season goes on."
Gilchrist, whose current deal is set to run out in June 2025, has netted five goals in 83 overall games for Chelsea's U21, U19, and U18 sides.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino calls for consistency after recent 2-1 league win
Mauricio Pochettino's side registered their seventh league win after beating Crystal Palace 2-1 earlier this Wednesday. Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke scored on either side of Michael Olise's equalizer.
Asked about his plans to improve consistency at the west London club, the former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) tactician replied (h/t Eurosport):
"We need to realise that we are Chelsea. A [club with] great history, the pressure is to win but we are such nice players, young. We need to understand that in the Premier League, you need to fight. And then you play. You need to match [the other team]."
Pochettino, who was named Chelsea's manager in the summer, added:
"Crystal Palace came here with very good players but the first idea is to go and to fight and be really aggressive. For us, sometimes we show a lack of this. It's going to be tough to be consistent because like you know, in the process of building a team it is always up and down, but we have the quality."
The Blues, who finished 12th past campaign, are 10th in the 2023-24 league table with 25 points from 19 games – 12 points off fourth place.