Lack Of Work Permit Keeping Bertrand Traore From Chelsea FC First Team
Chelsea FC boss Jose Mourinho believes youngster Bertrand Traore is good enough for the first team but a lack of a work permit is the only thing keeping him from joining up with the squad. Mourinho made these comments after Chelsea faced Bertrand Traore and his loan club Vitesse Arnhem in a friendly last week and ran out comfortable winners.
Traore has been a revelation at Vitesse and at just 18 years old he is one of Chelsea’s top prospects. He has been associated with Chelsea in some way since he was 15 years old but has not been able to join the club officially for some time now because of work permit issues. This meant that the Blues had to wait until he was 18 to sign him officially and even then he could not come to England because he cannot get a visa or work permit.
"“Traore does not play in England, because he has no visa. Otherwise, he would already be playing with us. Bertrand must now ensure that he plays enough international matches with Burkina Faso.”-Jose MourinhoSource: Chelsea FC TV"
Work permits for foreign footballers are given to those who have played a certain number of matches for their national team and Traore has not met that requirement. That is why Mourinho advises the youngster to work hard and fight for those matches but it should be no problem for a player of his caliber to get minutes for a footballing minnow like Burkina Faso.
These comments could also simply be a motivational tool for Mourinho. He could be building up the youngster’s confidence by saying that he thinks he is good enough for the first team when he may a few years away. Bertrand Traore has shown his tremendous talent on tour with the Blues and if his career continues along the same trajectory then there is no reason to doubt that he will be starring in a Chelsea shirt one day.