5 Keys to Chelsea’s rebuild during summer transfer window

4. Decision on young talent

Following the recent January transfer window, it’s clear the vision of the club is to build for the future. While the acquisition of young talents in Mykhailo Mudryk, Madueke, Badiashile, Datro Fofana and more is exciting, there hasn’t been a clear development plan in terms of game time.

A situation even more concerning considering there was little to play for especially in the final months of the season. Opportunities for both academy graduates and youngsters bought in have come few and far between under both Potter and Lampard. Although there should be no rush to include youngsters in the first team consistently, there should be a clear path to the starting 11 or loans need to be arranged during the summer for them to gain experience playing regularly.

The future of returning loanees Ian Maatsen and Levi Colwill also needs to be sorted. Both have impressed at their respective loan clubs, and it would be a shame to see their talents wasted on the bench next season if they are to be called back. The arrival of the plethora of young talents during the window also makes the path to the first team more difficult for academy products.

One prime example of this dilemma is the future of Tudor Mendel Idowu, a promising attacking talent from the academy. Mendel Idowu, who turned 18 this year, is highly regarded as one of Cobham’s brightest prospects in recent memory. In the U-18 Premier League, he dazzled with his skills on the ball and versatility as a right winger and attacking midfielder, amassing an impressive tally of nine combined goals and assists in 12 matches. Yet, it is reported that Idowu is expected to leave CFC’s academy as his contract expires this summer. One of the sticking points for him not resigning is that he does not see a clear path to the first team.

Can you blame him though? We’ve signed so much talent and some in bundles at the same position, when realistically only a select few will permanently break into the first team.  The rest will likely be repetitively loaned out or be sold at a lower value than they were purchased. It is a scenario that has played out time and time again in Chelsea’s modern history.  That brings up the question of how effective this youth centric transfer strategy actually is for youth development. A decision should be made as soon as possible on numerous standout youths at the club and dissect between those ready to contribute to the first team and those that need more experience should be loaned out into teams where they can get game time and develop.