16-year-old Chelsea youngster already called into first-team training, club staff think he’s a gem

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The son of one former Chelsea director could be about to make his U21 debut for the Blues tonight.

Chelsea U21s take on Colchester United later and according to the Evening Standard, Landon Emenalo, the son of Michael Emenalo, is likely to feature.

The outlet claims that the 16-year-old midfielder is highly thought of at the club and has already trained with Mauricio Pochettino‘s first-team squad.

His father, Chelsea’s former technical director, left Stamford Bridge in 2017.

He is currently the director of football for the Saudi Pro League.

Landon Emenalo, a future Chelsea first-teamer?

Emenalo is certainly on the right track. He is about to make his debut for Chelsea’s U21 side at 16 and has already trained with the senior squad.

If Emenalo keeps developing at this rate, it is not impossible that he has a future in the Blues’ first team. However, getting there as a young player coming through the academy is never easy.

Chelsea are often one of the most active teams in the transfer window, making expensive signings every year.

It can block the pathway for someone like Emenalo, though there have been quite a few success stories recently.

The likes of Levi Colwill and Conor Gallagher, for example, have found their way into the senior squad at Chelsea. However, they needed loan spells and it is unlikely to be any different for Emenalo.

For now, though, he just has to concentrate on making an impact for the youth teams at Cobham, while Pochettino now needs to focus on winning games instead of development.

His Chelsea side have not been good enough in the Premier League this season, earning just nine victories. As a result, they sit ninth in the table and far off the top four, making Champions League qualification seem very unlikely.