Despite producing numerous academy players with potential, Chelsea’s reputation of not handing them opportunities is famous.
From Ryan Bertrand and Nathan Ake to Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Dominic Solanke, they have struggled for first-team playing time.
But following Jadon Sancho’s success after leaving Manchester City, two of Chelsea’s bright stars should think about leaving if they don’t play in the Europa League tomorrow.
Both Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi have been earmarked as future Chelsea players.
But they’ve found first-team participation limited, with Hudson-Odoi making the bench once so far this season.
Even in Europa League ties against obviously poorer teams, they’ve watched from the sidelines.
So, with a home game against BATE Borisov coming up, Ampadu and Hudson-Odoi should see this as their final opportunity to play.
With players like Victor Moses starting ahead of them, their development will suffer if they’re not playing regularly.
And Chelsea are clearly leagues ahead of BATE Borisov, so this the perfect opportunity to give them a chance.
In years gone by, Chelsea fans would be content to see big-money signings come in and the youngsters suffer as a result.
But, in this new era of austerity ushered in by Roman Abramovich, they want to see academy players play.
However, if Ampadu and Hudson-Odoi don’t play tomorrow, they should force through a move away from Stamford Bridge.
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