Chelsea starlet Harvey Vale could be called up for the FA Cup game on Saturday and make the Club World Cup squad.
According to The Athletic, the 18-year-old is very much in Thomas Tuchel’s plans for the upcoming fixtures, after the Blues rejected a loan bid from Championship side Huddersfield Town.
Instead, they offered another of their Cobham graduates, Tino Anjorin, whose loan spell with Lokomotiv Moscow was recently cut short.
For Vale, this vote of confidence should hopefully persuade him to sign a new contract.
Vale’s adventures
His deal expires in the summer and Chelsea have already lost too many of their promising academy players.
Talks over an extension apparently started in October and continued last week.
Play against Plymouth this weekend, plus possibly traveling with the senior group to Abu Dhabi, should surely tip the teenager’s decision towards agreeing his long-term allegiance.
Tuchel has already shown faith in the attacking midfielder by repeatedly calling him up to train with the Champions League winning contingent.
The German coach also handed Vale his senior debut away to Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, after naming him on the bench for a European tie.
Representing the Blues in the big time
Putting some Premier League minutes onto the CV would also help push the England Under-19 international closer to renewing his contract.
Aside from facing Liverpool at Wembley next month and a possible tricky meeting with Lille, Chelsea’s fixture list suggests a top-flight appearance for Vale could be over the horizon.
They face Crystal Palace, Burnley, Newcastle United, Norwich City and then Brentford, all teams in the bottom half of the table.
Understandably, Tuchel might not want to risk throwing the youngster into the firing line before his side’s top-four finish is assured.
Until then, fans may only see Vale in drips and drabs, but they won’t complain about that one bit.
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