Ruben Loftus-Cheek makes debut versus Sporting to boost Chelsea academy
|
Version 0 of 1. José Mourinho believes the promotion of Ruben Loftus-Cheek will help justify Chelsea’s lavish outlay on youth development and the manager suggested the alternative would be to “close the academy” if the door to the senior set-up remained consistently shut. Loftus-Cheek, an England Under-19 midfielder who has been at Chelsea since he was eight, will make his competitive debut at some stage against Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday night and will join the senior squad on a permanent basis next month. The 18-year-old is one of a number of talented English players, such as Dominic Solanke – who had his own taste of first-team football earlier this season – Isaiah Brown and Tammy Abraham who have made waves in the academy set-up. The midfielder captained Chelsea to the FA Youth Cup last season and Mourinho has made no secret of his desire to field more players “made in Chelsea” having been impressed with the strides taken by the academy since his first spell in charge at the club. “It depends on the talent you have, but every manager in the world wants to bring young people through,” he said. “Sometimes you have it. Sometimes you don’t. I can, for example, compare my first spell here and now and now the quality of the young players is better. Clearly better. “I’m not saying they’re ready or that they don’t need a transitional period with us or a couple of loans but the quality is much better. I have conditions to do it. Go to other clubs, it’s clear to see it’s not easy to bring kids from the youth competitions to the top level, but I think every one of us has the same feeling. We want to do it. “This will be Ruben’s day but I feel it’s the academy’s day more than his. It’s a clear message that the first team is sending to them: work, work, and the right moment and the right talent always arrives [at its objective].” Loftus-Cheek’s promotion comes in the week Manchester City unveiled their new £200m academy facility, two thirds of which will be dedicated to youth development. Chelsea have poured considerable funding into their own set-up, with an annual outlay approaching £8m and they have taken steps to recruit some of the best teenagers in England, Europe and beyond. They have 29 players out on loan gaining experience while there is much pride within the system that graduates from the facility – most of whom have since moved on – have chalked up more than 4,000 senior appearances for clubs around the globe. The hope is Loftus-Cheek will make his mark in the first team at his current club – Chelsea have not enjoyed a consistent impact from a graduate since John Terry emerged 16 years ago. Mourinho said: “If you don’t bring kids through the academy, the best thing is to close the academy. If the kids are not good enough or the work not good enough, and you don’t bring kids through, then close the door and use the money to buy players. You need to prove the academy works well and is worth it. But it’s only possible if the first-team manager stays for a long time, which in this club in the last 10 years was not possible. “I’m trying to format Ruben and other Rubens in relation to my ideas, to my philosophy. Imagine next week if there’s a different first-team manager with different ideas. He would become an ’empty product’ and you start everything again. In this moment, the relation between the first team and the academy is changing based on this stability we are having. The first time Ruben trained with me was 18 months ago so I think he remembers every word or feedback he’s had in first-team development. This stability is important. The people in the academy feel they are working for something. Which is why tomorrow, when a boy who arrived at Cobham at eight [gets his chance], is not Ruben’s day but ‘academy day’.” “It’s about taking it in your stride, being confident and not being scared to try things,” said Loftus-Cheek, who spoke confidently in front of the media before his debut. “That’s how you go forward and impress. We’re very aware [that so few youth team players have broken into the senior set-up at Chelsea] but we’ve got some good talent coming through. It’s not going to be easy to break in, especially with the squad in front of us, but you can’t be negative in these situations. You have to think you can do it and be positive otherwise you won’t get anywhere near. We’re all confident in our ability to do well when and if the opportunity comes.” Chelsea have already won Group G. Terry, Willian and Eden Hazard have been granted three days off after Saturday’s defeat at Newcastle as Mourinho juggles his squad ahead of the busy Christmas period. Diego Costa will start against Sporting, who still aspire to finish as runners-up but are without the injured Nani as he builds up his match sharpness after recent injuries. Cesc Fàbregas will also play given he is suspended for the visit of Hull City on Saturday. |