Chelsea vs Brighton friendly: 3 young Blues who deserve a chance

The Chelsea preseason for the 2023/24 campaign has officially kicked off. The Blues won their first preseason matchup against Wrexham AFC 5-0 on Wednesday in a dominant display. CFC’s preseason tour only gets tougher from here as the Blues will face up against Brighton on Saturday the 21st of July. This match against the Seagulls is a friendly but considering the tension between the two teams regarding negotiations taking place for Moises Caicedo, fans in particular are hoping to see a showdown.

As it is preseason, young players are sure to get an opportunity to display their talents and considering the positive performances from the match against Wrexham, there are several Blues youngsters that deserve a chance for the game against Brighton. Standouts from the last game such as Ian Maatsen and Cesare Casadei are sure to be given more game time but there are some more young Blues whose performances might have gone under the radar or who played less that deserve more chances.

Here are 3 young Chelsea players who deserve a chance against Brighton

Angelo Gabriel

18-year-old Brazilian Angelo Gabriel was one of the surprising standouts from Chelsea’s first preseason game against Wrexham. The young winger came on during the second half and impressed with his passing range and ability to seemingly create chances out of his own will. Angelo plays differently to most of the wingers that Chelsea already has, which is why watching him on the flanks has been such a breath of fresh air.

He won’t wow you with his ability to take on players like Noni Madueke or shock you with his pace on the ball like Mykhailo Mudryk but his ability to know when to dribble and to pick out the runs of his teammates to deliver passes in the final third have been world class. The closest comparison at the club is Hakim Ziyech but Angelo is quicker and dribbles better in open space than the Moroccan.  Considering his positive performance against Wrexham, Angelo at least deserves to start the game against Brighton. It will be interesting to see if he can replicate his performance against much tougher opposition. This will arguably determine whether he’s truly ready for Chelsea’s first team.

Bashir Humphreys

Bashir Humphreys quietly had himself a solid performance against Wrexham that was overshadowed by the performances of the likes of Ian Maatsen and Cesare Casadei. The young English centerback was extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet, recognizing well when to pass and when to hold on to the ball. He wasn’t really tested defensively, as Chelsea held much more of the ball in the match. However, whenever he was, he didn’t set a foot wrong.

Against Brighton, Humphreys will face Premier League level opposition and we’ll have a better gauge of how he handles high level forwards defensively. If he continues to perform well, Chelsea could save millions on the purchase of a new center back to replace the injured Wesley Fofana.

Andrey Santos

Andrey Santos started in the game against Wrexham and was another one of Chelsea’s underrated performers. Santos played as the deepest lying midfielder and took on the role very well. Despite being restricted by his position he controlled the tempo of the game with his passing and did well a few times spotting the runs of teammates ahead of him. He wasn’t afraid to get physical either, challenging with a few tackles and ball recoveries.

All around he played as the ideal No.6, but the demands of that position get ruthless the higher the level of opposition you face. Brighton would be the perfect opportunity to show how he can handle that pressure.