What does Steve Holland’s England role mean for Chelsea?

With Steve Holland joining the England coaching staff, what does it mean for Chelsea? We run down some possible scenarios and some improbable ones too.

The not at all surprising appointment of Gareth Southgate to the managerial role of the English National Team has finally been confirmed. Of more interest to Chelsea is the news that Chelsea assistant manager Steve Holland will finish the season with Chelsea before going fulltime as the English assistant.

In the managerial merry-go-round that is Chelsea, Holland has been one of the few constants. He has been the assistant (or one of the assistants) manager to Chelsea since 2011. Starting as the reserve team manager under Carlo Ancelotti, Holland went on to work alongside some of the world’s best managers.

Working with the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Andre Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo, Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, and Antonio Conte, Holland has amassed a great deal of experience that Chelsea will be sorry to see go.

But with all the buzz around Southgate and Holland, the question must be asked, what does this mean or not mean with regard to Chelsea? Here are three things it does mean and two it does not.

Chelsea’s youth will have a shot at the National Team

Southgate and Holland were the manager and the assistant of the U21s for England. To coincide with the success of Chelsea’s academy, many of their starters were from the Blues’ system.

Nathaniel Chalobah, Lewis Baker, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have all seen significant minutes in the youth team under Southgate and Holland. Recently, Chalobah was part of a group of youth players brought to train with the English national team.

Managers, especially national team managers, tend to favor the players they know and trust. After spending so much time with the U21 team, Southgate is going to favor and trust players that were part of his squads. With Holland at his side, he’s likely to look favorably upon Chelsea’s young English talents.

Obviously, it will depend on them getting minutes at a club level, but if a young Chelsea Englishman can find game time, it is likely to result in a call up and perhaps even game time with the national team.

Lewis Baker, Kasey Palmer, and Tammy Abraham are all playing regularly in the lower leagues. Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are both with the Chelsea first team. If these players can find ways to get minutes in a league like the Premier League, it will only be a matter of time before they join the England setup.