Chelsea have given first-team opportunities to a number of academy graduates during Enzo Maresca’s time as manager and another teenage talent could be next in line
Teenage sensation Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli could become the next Chelsea starlet to earn a first team chance, it has been claimed. Nicoll-Jazuli is just 15, but has aleady become the Blues’ youngest ever starter in the UEFA Youth League.
The England Under-17 international, who doesn’t turn 16 until January, played an hour for Chelsea’s Under-21 side in an EFL Trophy match earlier this season. He has also featured in all three Youth League games, starting two, with the Blues taking maximum points.
After coming off the bench in a victory over Bayern Munich, the central midfielder played from the start in thumping wins over Ajax and Benfica. He scored his first goal in the competition during a 6-3 victory over the Portuguese side, with Shim Mheuka – who made his Premier League debut last season – captaining the team.
According to The Sun, there have been suggestions Enzo Maresca could hand the teenager his first team debut this season. Maresca has already invited Nicoll-Jazuli to train with the Blues’ seniors, though competitive action has yet to arrive.
He is just 10 days younger than Arsenal prospect Max Dowman, who made his Premier League debut earlier this season. Dowman, who is due to celebrate his 16th birthday in December, agreed scholarship terms with the Gunners earlier this week, with a view to signing a professional deal once he turns 17.
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Nicoll-Jazuli, who has reportedly been compared to Jude Bellingham, would be the latest in a long line of Chelsea academy graduates to break into the first team. Tyrique George, Josh Acheampong and young striker Mheuka were among those to get league minutes last season.
Reggie Walsh, 17, got cup minutes last season and made his Champions League debut against Ajax on Wednesday. The midfielder came on for Romeo Lavia midway through the second half, with George and Acheampong also coming off the bench and the former scoring in a 5-1 win.
Chelsea also have a number of older academy graduates on their books, with Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill all coming through the academy. They have brought in plenty of young talent from elsewhere, too, with George one of three teenagers on target against Ajax after first-half efforts from Marc Guiu and Estevao Willian.
Fellow youngster Acheampong scored his first senior goal just days earlier, in a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. “We worked on set-pieces the day before and I actually scored a header. Bernardo [Cueva], the set-piece coach, was saying, ‘You’re going to score today’, so I kind of felt it and was just happy it came,” the centre-back said.
“As soon as I scored, Reece [James] pushed me to the fans, but I just wanted to make sure that we got the win before I celebrated too much, to be honest. Winning made it more special.”
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