5 Young Chelsea players that deserve game-time this preseason
By Malcom David
2. Carney Chukwuemeka
When Chelsea bought 18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022 it was widely expected that the youngster was another investment in the future, and he would go out on loan to develop. Although in hindsight he should’ve left, Chukwuemeka stayed with the first team for the entirety of last season. Chukwuemeka would only feature in 14 Premier League matches and clock in 345 minutes of action mainly from the bench during his first season with Chelsea.
His lack of game-time last season would’ve been understandable if the club were competitive but Chukwuemeka still struggled for minutes even after Chelsea’s fate as a mid-table team was already sealed. However, given the small sample size, he did impress. As an attacking midfielder there were glimpses of his talents particularly at progressing the ball, dribbling in tight spaces and creating chances with passes into the final third. This preseason will be Carney Chukwuemeka’s chance to prove he truly deserves to be with the first team, and he should arguably be the midfielder given the most time to prove so.