Academy News: Thomas Tuchel sends message to new Chelsea owners about Roman Abramovich’s ‘huge investment’
Speaking in his pre-match press conference before the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace (h/t Daily Mail), Thomas Tuchel asked Chelsea’s prospective new owners to invest in the club’s academy.
The Blues are yet to find a new owner ever since Roman Abramovich’s decision to sell the club. The resulting sanctions have impacted the club’s day-to-day running but it is claimed that the Blues can announce their owners by the end of this week.
After the withdrawal of the controversial Ricketts family from the race to buy the West London club, the club is now expected to be owned by either the Todd Boehly/Jonathan Goldstein group or the David Blitzer/Josh Harris pairing. Stephen Pagliuca, who is part-owner of Serie A side Atalanta, is also in the running.
But whoever may be Abramovich’s successor, Tuchel has sent a clear message to them regarding the investment needed in the club’s academy. Cobham has produced some great talent over the years such as Reece James and Mason Mount, and Tuchel wants that trend to continue.
“I hope for them [the new owners], the academy is as important as it is for us and the supporters. It’s what makes any team special if you have the mix between players from abroad and players from the academy.”
Tuchel hits the nail on the head
The former PSG manager recognizes the effort put into the academy and the women’s team by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich. Tuchel also believes his views are consistent with those on the Chelsea board.
“Chelsea academy is a big part of this club and is a huge investment by Roman Abramovich, and the women are as well… I think there is a lot of other investment needed and I personally think it is worth it and I think the board will tell anybody who buys this club the same thing.”
Tuchel is absolutely right about the need to continue investing in the club’s academy. The likes of Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, and Marc Guehi have generated immense transfer funds after honing their skills in the academy before making a name on the senior stage.
Abraham and Guehi generated a combined £52million after moving to AS Roma and Crystal Palace respectively with Tomori fetching a cool £25million when he left for AC Milan last year. More than that, fans love seeing one of their homegrown talents make it big for the senior team.
An academy that produces homegrown talent for the first team can also help the club out in times of need- such as when the club was imposed with a transfer ban and Frank Lampard had to make do with the players that he had at his disposal and those playing for the development teams.
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Whoever is our new owner must understand Tuchel’s points and back him and the club by investing properly in the next generation. Chelsea take on Crystal Palace today where they could face a Cobham graduate in Guehi, but another academy talent, Conor Gallagher, will be sidelined as he is forbidden to play against his parent club.