Six Youngsters Who Could Break Through This Season

[Stan]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44966721

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James Maddison

 

James Maddison made his England U21 debut against Ukraine last season

Club: Leicester City
Age: 21
Position: Attacking midfielder

Maddison joined Leicester City on a five-year-deal this summer following a £20m move from Championship side Norwich City.

The attack-minded midfielder - a dead-ball specialist - impressed while on loan at Aberdeen in 2016-17, scoring a stunning late free-kick to beat Rangers.

He followed that by establishing himself in Norwich's first team last term, scoring 15 goals, including a match-winning strike in the derby with Ipswich.

Can the England U21 international make the step up to the Premier League?

With his technical ability, a tight turning circle and a strong goals record, the evidence suggests he can.

And his manager certainly think so, Claude Puel describing him as "one of the most exciting young talents in English football".

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Ryan Sessegnon

Club: Fulham
Age: 18
Position: Left-back/left-winger

Introducing the 2018 Championship Player of the Year, at just 18 years old.

Despite his age, and having not played in the top-flight, Sessegnon is already a well-recognised name in English football because of his athleticism, positioning and eye for goal.

The pacy winger started his career as a left-back before being pushed further forward by Fulham last season, when he scored 16 goals in 52 appearances as the Cottagers secured promotion to the Premier League after a four-year absence.

The Londoner, who has won England caps at several age group levels, came through the ranks with Fulham, making his senior debut in August 2016 aged just 16 years and 81 days.

Speaking about his talent in April, BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson said: "What a player he's going to be. It's frightening."

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Ruben Neves

 

Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Age: 21
Position: Central midfielder

The Portuguese central midfielder joined Wolves from Porto last summer for what was a Championship record fee of about £16m. The 21-year-old has an excellent range of passing and calm temperament in possession.

Neves was shortlisted for Championship Player of the Year last term as Wolves claimed the title and his stunning long-range volley against Derby demonstrated elegance and precision.

And it was no fluke, as all six of his goals came from outside of the box.

The midfielder missed out on selection for Portugal this summer, but Wolves fans will have been delighted to see the classy youngster sign a new five-year deal at Molineux last month.

"It is no secret that there has been interest from other clubs, but Ruben is incredibly level-headed for his age, and loves being a part of the Wolves family," said Wolves sporting director Kevin Thelwell.

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Ethan Ampadu

Club: Chelsea
Age: 17
Position: Centre-back/defensive midfielder

Ampadu, son of former Swansea City and West Brom midfielder Kwame, has played a role in Chelsea's pre-season campaign having started against Perth Glory and Inter Milan.

He arrived at Stamford Bridge as a centre-back from hometown club Exeter City - having become the youngest player to represent the Grecians a month before his 16th birthday - but he is equally accomplished as a holding midfielder.

The 17-year-old earned his first senior Wales cap against France in November, as well as making seven appearances in the Blues' first team, albeit it six of those came in domestic cup competitions.

In Gary Cahill's absence, Ampadu was picked ahead of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger to play alongside David Luiz in the heart of Chelsea's backline in their opening two friendlies, which suggests new manager Maurizio Sarri has plenty of faith in him.

"His frame, athleticism, understanding of the game and communication is great for someone so young," said former Wales manager Chris Coleman.

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Phil Foden

Club: Manchester City
Age: 18
Position: Attacking midfielder

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer of the teenager who has already tasted World Cup success with England U17s last October, when he was named Player of the Tournament.

Foden made 10 appearances for the Premier League champions last year, including a rare start in the Champions League last-16 home tie with Basel.

The Stockport-born attacking midfielder glides across the park. He is a proven goalscorer at youth level and performed well for City in their recent pre-season tour of the United States.

With Riyad Mahrez arriving at Etihad Stadium this summer, it remains to be seen whether Guardiola allows Foden to move elsewhere on loan to help his development.

Speaking about Foden in July 2017, after a dazzling pre-season performance against rivals Manchester United, Guardiola said: "It's a long time since I saw something like this."

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Callum Hudson-Odoi

Club: Chelsea
Age: 17
Position: Forward

Hudson-Odoi has won a string of trophies with the Chelsea academy, after joining the club in 2007, and the 17-year-old has impressed during the Blues' pre-season.

The forward has been deployed on the left of a front three under new boss Sarri, having started all three matches against Perth Glory, Inter Milan and Arsenal respectively, and the early signs are promising.

Despite his inexperience at senior level, the Londoner has bags of confidence and a willingness to commit defenders.

Having won the U17 World Cup with England, Hudson-Odoi made his senior debut against Newcastle in the FA Cup last term, before making a further three appearances under Antonio Conte.

Speaking after Chelsea's success in the FA Youth Cup final in April - in which Hudson-Odoi scored twice against Arsenal, coach Jody Morris said: "He's still got a lot to do but he's certainly got a chance if he keeps his feet on the ground, and matures properly, because there's a young kid there that has got a fantastic amount of talent."

 

[Azeem]

Sessegenon was vital for Fulham's promotion he is more match tested than others.

[Stan]

10 minutes ago, Devon Von Devon said:

Sessegenon was vital for Fulham's promotion he is more match tested than others.

Neves?

[Azeem]

34 minutes ago, Stan said:

Neves?

Neves was in the highlight before coming to England wasn't he ? He even made appearences for Portugal.

 

[Storts]

They've really stuck their neck on the line with those first three haven't they

[Stan]

6 minutes ago, Devon Von Devon said:

Neves was in the highlight before coming to England wasn't he ? He even made appearences for Portugal.

 

so would he not be more match-tested?

[Dave]

Judging by the first three im guessing we can class Max Meyer as a break through player too as he's never played in the Premier League?

[Azeem]

18 minutes ago, Stan said:

so would he not be more match-tested?

If he has a good season would you really call that break through for him compared to others ?

Sessegenon has the most experience among those which can classified as break through players.

[Inverted]

Don’t think you can call a player who’s captained Porto in the CL a breakthrough star.

Unless you were literally unaware that football exists outside of England.

[The Liquidator]

Nobody would have heard of Phil Foden, at least outside of diehard City fans, if Jadon Sancho was still at the club.

Sancho would probably top most scouts list as the best talent coming through. His teaming up with Callum Hudson-Odoi  for England was really something.

The buzz around Ryan Sessegnon has been consistent since he first became a teenager. I tip my hat to my Fulham friends who have been proved right.

[Cicero]

Whether it be with us or another club, Odoi and Ampadu will be quality players 

[Stan]

6 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Whether it be with us or another club, Odoi and Ampadu will be quality players 

Vitesse?

[Cicero]

5 minutes ago, Stan said:

Vitesse?

Hope to god not. Those two in particular show an astounding amount of confidence for their age. Something the likes of Sinclair, McEachran, Musonda, Boga failed to do when making the step up. 

Personally hope neither of them go on loan. In fact, Sarri looks to be keen on making Odoi Hazard's back up. Ampadu also can be a big rotation player for us. 

[Stan]

16 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Hope to god not. Those two in particular show an astounding amount of confidence for their age. Something the likes of Sinclair, McEachran, Musonda, Boga failed to do when making the step up. 

Personally hope neither of them go on loan. In fact, Sarri looks to be keen on making Odoi Hazard's back up. Ampadu also can be a big rotation player for us. 

i know . Was just being cynical. 

[RandoEFC+]

Great list. Three players that have already broken through and two of the other three play for Chelsea so LOL.

[Cicero]

3 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

Great list. Three players that have already broken through and two of the other three play for Chelsea so LOL.

Except Foden and Ampadu made around the same first team appearances at their respective club 

[Marc]

Fucking awful article. Maddison went for 20m, Neves 15m, Foden has always been tipped for stardom and the other two player for Chelsea so won't play.

Chelsea the best youth team possibly in the world for years, yet haven't brought a single player through to the first team.

[Cicero]

1 minute ago, Marc said:

Fucking awful article. Maddison went for 20m, Neves 15m, Foden has always been tipped for stardom and the other two player for Chelsea so won't play.

Chelsea the best youth team possibly in the world for years, yet haven't brought a single player through to the first team.

Andreas Christensen 

[Marc]

8 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Andreas Christensen 

I wouldn't exactly call him a traditional academy player. Signed for Chelsea when he was about 16 and had offers all across Europe but Chelsea  I assume offered him the most money.

 

He's still all you have to show for about 5 FA Youth cup wins.

[Cicero]

8 minutes ago, Marc said:

I wouldn't exactly call him a traditional academy player. Signed for Chelsea when he was about 16 and had offers all across Europe but Chelsea  I assume offered him the most money.

 

He's still all you have to show for about 5 FA Youth cup wins.

You are a bit naive if you think the players involved in those recent 5 FA Youth Cups should jump straight into the first team. For a club competing all on fronts and the way we operate, we don't take the risk of breaking through young players who have never played a single minute of top flight football. We have no idea if they can make the step up. That is the whole purpose of our loan system. If they are good enough, they will play. Andreas Christensen being the prime example. The likes of Odoi and Ampadu in particular, already show a vast amount of confidence none of our youth players recently have shown. 

It is one of the very reasons we have averaged a trophy every season under Roman's reign. Our whole loan system has also helped us become self sufficient.

 

 

[Marc]

11 minutes ago, Cicero said:

You are a bit naive if you think the players involved in those recent 5 FA Youth Cups should jump straight into the first team. For a club competing all on fronts and the way we operate, we don't take the risk of breaking through young players who have never played a single minute of top flight football. We have no idea if they can make the step up. That is the whole purpose of our loan system. If they are good enough, they will play. Andreas Christensen being the prime example. The likes of Odoi and Ampadu in particular, already show a vast amount of confidence none of our youth players recently have shown. 

It is one of the very reasons we have averaged a trophy every season under Roman's reign. Our whole loan system has also helped us become self sufficient.

 

 

What a load of rubbish, from start to finish that post is just shit. Every other club wins less youth trophies than chelski but brings through more youth players and loads of other clubs bring through players without having to loan them out a million times. 

Was signing Drinkwater but loaning out Reuben Loftus-Cheek good business?

How has your loan system made you self sufficient? Please provide some evidence to back this statement up. 

I've met lots of stupid chelsea fans, but all the rest are still honest enough to be critical about the clubs youth/loan/academy player system. You seem to think it's working just fine then?

[Dr. Gonzo]

I think the pressure Chelsea managers are under, where you can get sacked after winning the league the season before, is part of why Chelsea don’t typically play their young players. Even after the seasoned veterans have clearly given up on the manager and know he’ll be replaced before he replaces them in the side, it’s too risky for a manager to throw in kids or make big changes because if they fail the manager will get crucified by the press/fans for his risk taking. And it’s also likely to take away from the profitability of these kids, which Chelsea do sell on at a healthy profit, if they do fail at that stage compared to the mystique of being a talented young player at a respected academy.

Other big clubs have big pressure too, but Chelsea managers have it the most imo. Just look at the turnover in the role, and previous success doesn’t afford a second chance there.

[Rick]

Chelsea have such an amazing youth setup for one purpose, to put young talent in the shop window while they are loaned to a team where they will get minutes. It probably does help Chelsea towards self sufficiency quite a bit, because remember is wasn't long ago that they first recorded their first profit in recent years, and that was only a quid or something. 

[Cicero]

59 minutes ago, Marc said:

What a load of rubbish, from start to finish that post is just shit. Every other club wins less youth trophies than chelski but brings through more youth players and loads of other clubs bring through players without having to loan them out a million times. 

Was signing Drinkwater but loaning out Reuben Loftus-Cheek good business?

How has your loan system made you self sufficient? Please provide some evidence to back this statement up. 

I've met lots of stupid chelsea fans, but all the rest are still honest enough to be critical about the clubs youth/loan/academy player system. You seem to think it's working just fine then?

 

Right, in the bold, how successful were those clubs compared to us this past decade? Do you really think we would have won all the trophies we did, if we relied on youth players vs. seasoned professionals? I'll say it again, you are so incredibly naive. You are essentially calling a system that has made us the most successful club of the past decade, rubbish. This isn't about what I want, this is about stating the blatant obvious that the system the club is utilising is proven to work. 

Was signing Drinkwater but loaning out Reuben Loftus-Cheek good business? Absolutely not. We could of found cheaper alternatives with higher quality. Now I'll ask you this, what is better for Reuben Loftus-Cheek's development, staying here and getting 'Drinkwater' minutes, or playing every minute of every game at a different club in the Premier League? So that the day if he does become good enough, he can start with us?

Now at the end of the day, I would love for some players to break through, however our current model and set up speaks for itself. There is no evidence to suggest integrating our youth could match the success we have now nor if it is a long term strategy. If you disagree, in your own words please provide some evidence to back this statement up. 

Also, We've just recorded our first profit in years just last December in the amount of almost 20 million. Largely due to our academy and loan system. Add to that we are a lot more conservative with our spending than we were in 2004-2010. The club's long term goal is to become self sufficient whilst still competing on all fronts. 

https://fcbusiness.co.uk/news/chelsea-announce-record-revenues-in-latest-financial-results/

You see, you can't call someone stupid who brings up valid points that counter your own, because you just look like an idiot.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Marc]

2 minutes ago, Cicero said:

 

Right, in the bold, how successful were those clubs compared to us this past decade? Do you really think we would have won all the trophies we did, if we relied on youth players vs. seasoned professionals? I'll say it again, you are so incredibly naive. You are essentially calling a system that has made us the most successful club of the past decade, rubbish. This isn't about what I want, this is about stating the blatant obvious that the system the club is utilising is proven to work. 

Was signing Drinkwater but loaning out Reuben Loftus-Cheek good business? Absolutely not. We could of found cheaper alternatives with higher quality. Now I'll ask you this, what is better for Reuben Loftus-Cheek's development, staying here and getting 'Drinkwater' minutes, or playing every minute of every game at a different club in the Premier League? So that the day if he does become good enough, he can start with us?

Now at the end of the day, I would love for some players to break through, however our current model and set up speaks for itself. There is no evidence to suggest integrating our youth could match the success we have now nor if it is a long term strategy. If you disagree, in your own words please provide some evidence to back this statement up. 

Also, We've just recorded our first profit in years just last December in the amount of almost 20 million. Largely due to our academy and loan system. Add to that we are a lot more conservative with our spending than we were in 2004-2010, the club's long term goal is to become self sufficient whilst still competing on all fronts. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/11188750/chelsea-announce-15-3m-profit-after-player-sales-counterbalance-operating-loss

You see, you can't call someone stupid who brings up valid points that counter your own, because you just look like an idiot.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

unsurprisingly you resort to calling me stupid and an idiot. Name calling when you're losing a debate, oh dear. A common trait on this forum.

Anyway, Great, just clicked on that link...

'the club generated a profit of £69.2m from transfer business, due largely to the sale of Oscar to Shanghai SIPG for around £60m'

 

I'm not saying you have to rely on youth, i'm saying give them a chance. Then maybe you won't sell the likes of KDB, Lukaku, Matic. 

 

I believe if Reuben Loftus-Cheek would've stayed at chelski he would've got the drinkwater minutes then made the place his own. Chelsea have been successful but could've been more successful had they integrated some of the 'academy' player into the team down the years (KDB, Lukaku etc). Man United have had a similar level of success over the decade but have bought through academy players.

I will also emphasis you have the best academy in the country by a mile so it is difficult to compare you to everyone else. I will also repeat you are the only chelski fan i've spoken to that is happy with how the clubs academy works and the lack of integration into the first team.