The one thing that the Chelsea fans seem unhappy with the management is the lack of local homegrown talent being progressed from the academy to the first team squad. Since the legend John Terry has cemented his place in the first team, no other player has replicated the same.
Chelsea is touted to have one of the best academies in English football. They have won manor honours in recent times like the U21 and UEFA youth league in 2014. FA youth cup was also won by the academy stars in 2012,2014 and 2015. The one name that has been projected as the future of Chelsea FC is 20 year old, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
He joined the academy at the age of eight. He developed through the ranks and made his debut for the U21s in the 2012-13 season. In the following season, he made 24 appearances and was a part of the winning team of the U21 league and UEFA youth league. His performances in the next season gained him a call into the first team squad.
He made his debut for Chelsea in December 2014 against Sporting Lisbon in a Champions League encounter. Ruben Loftus-Cheek subsequently made his first league start in May 2015 against Liverpool and played 60 minutes with an impressive 100% passing accuracy.
These performances didn’t go unnoticed. He received his first call up to the England international U21 side for the Euros in 2015. RLC has represented England in all age groups. The U21 boss Gareth Southgate speaks very highly of the youngster. This season, he has made nine appearances for the blues scoring one goal against Scunthorpe United in a FA cup game.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek can be described as a perfect Mourinho player: tall, powerful and strong. The 6ft 3 inches starlet is a central midfield player with the CDM role being his arguably strong position. He is in the mould as of a Yaya Toure or Patrick Viera. His favoured foot is the right one but he is surprisingly good with the left also. This is a good quality to possess in the Premier League.
The youngster has a good speed with a lot of strength and has a good passing range in the middle third of the field. At his age, his off the ball movement and reading of the game is commendable. RLC has his flaws in the defensive areas, but that will improve with his playing time and also by playing with experienced players like Matic and Fabregas.
When Jose Mourinho slated him in a post-match conference after a pre season game, he took it in his stride very well. He accepted his mistakes and vowed to improve to play at Chelsea’s level. This shows the strong character of the young man.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has penned down a new contract this week that will see him committed to the club till 2021. He is rumoured to be earning £60,000 per week. After John Terry, he is the only player who has completed ten years at the club.
With the required playing time, there is no doubt that he will become a Chelsea and England regular. He has all the tools needed to succeed in his favoured midfield role and may take the final step that many Chelsea youngsters have failed to take. If nurtured properly, Chelsea have a real gem in their hands!