By Nathaniel Kay

'Need to see it': Some Chelsea fans urge Tuchel to unleash teenage talent against Brentford

A large portion of Chelsea supporters on social media demanded that Thomas Tuchel consider starting Jude Soonsup-Bell against Brentford this evening.

Soonsup-Bell was spotted training with the first team yesterday ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup clash at the Brentford Community Stadium.

The 17-year-old joined several of his fellow academy graduates in rubbing shoulders with the likes of Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho.

This early Christmas present for the gifted forward has come at a price, however.

Chelsea stretched to the max

Thomas Tuchel dived into the development pool due to the high volume of absences from his senior squad.

Up to eight members of Tuchel’s camp are set to miss today’s match due to injury or covid.

Lewis Baker, who had earned a call-up from the Under-23s, unfortunately tested positive and will therefore miss out on his big break.

Yet, Chelsea’s silver lining is in their shiny young stars.

None more so than Soonsup-Bell, who is one of Cobham’s brightest pupils.

Blues fans wanted nothing more than to see their teenage prodigy take on Brentford in a few hours’ time.

Here’s what they had to say about the striker’s inclusion:

Can’t win anything with kids…

Because of the number of casualties, there is every likelihood Tuchel will intrust his youth players with the task of conquering the cup.

Not entirely on their own, as the likes of Ross Barkley, Saul Niguez, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Malang Sarr are set to play a part.

But using the kids could be a real step in the right direction for the club, who witnessed a mass departure of their up-and-coming talents over the summer.

If they can prove to be worthy adversaries to Premier League opponents, then the door is wide open for their future endeavours.

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Nathaniel Kay

Nathaniel is a football journalist who graduated from the University of Derby. He has worked at Burton Albion as part of their media team for two years. Nathaniel produces regular articles for the club’s official website and match-day programme. He covered the 2018 U20 Women’s World Cup in Brittany and has reported from grounds ranging from non-league up to the Premier League.