Chelsea may be too eager to make amends and start youth revolution

Chelsea is rightfully making room for their youth this season, but they are handing out contracts eagerly without needing to which may hurt later.

The Blues are gearing up for a full youth revolution. It has been a long time coming with the academy winning every piece of silverware in front of them and players reaching critical mass on whether or not they would ever get a chance at Chelsea. Fans have long been growing antsy over the wait of seeing one of their own as well.

Frank Lampard and his staff, including Jody Morris and Joe Edwards, was a big step in the right direction. They have made room for Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James, and Tammy Abraham in their plans. And really, that was all they needed to do at this point in time.

But the club is feeling some fire under their chairs and is going above and beyond. Perhaps too much. Without there being a true need, some of these youth are getting contract extensions and pay raises. It is not that they do not deserve it; it is that the club really did not need to take that step so early.

Obviously, Hudson-Odoi’s extension was nonnegotiable on the part of the Blues. It was very much a case of him extending now, this summer, or leaving this summer so that the club would make some sort of transfer fee on him. His wages are a bit pricey given all the factors but Chelsea really had no other choice.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek also has a strong argument for his extension after his breakthrough year last season. The Blues will not have feared he would force a move (especially with his injury) but it was probably time to extend him regardless.

After that is when the contracts become more and more unnecessary. Again, it is not that they are undeserved; it is that the club did not need to extend these players at this point in time.

Mason Mount had a few years left on his contract, plenty of time to let him prove himself on the Premier League level before an extension. Rumors of a Reece James extension are coming from a similar place. It is only a matter of time before Tammy Abraham rumors start as well.

All of these players had or have at least two plus years left on their current contracts. Traditionally, Chelsea does not even start thinking about extensions until two or fewer years remain but these players are being treated differently.

It feels as though the Blues are trying to make amends for past slip ups with the youth. They want to go above and beyond to show Chelsea is heading in a new direction. But it is only a matter of time before someone in the academy starts demanding high wages like Hudson-Odoi’s. Or for an older player to ask for bigger wages to pull away from the kids.

And there is also the chance that Chelsea hands these players big contracts to find that the Premier League is a jump too big. Evidence points to the contrary, but it is always hard to tell how a player will do in a league before they actually play there.

Chelsea is, in part, paying for their mistakes of the past with Romelu Lukaku, Nathan Ake, and many, many more. But all that was necessary was to make a spot for them in the first team squad. The contracts are nice, but ultimately unnecessary at this point and could back fire yet.