U-21 Chelsea starlets Charlie Webster and Malik Mothersille to get new contracts
According to Evening Standard, two U-21 Chelsea stars Charlie Webster and Malik Mothersille are set to get new contracts at the club to evade mass youth exodus.
Both players were having their contracts expire in the coming summer. They had been fielding offers away from Stamford Bridge because of that.
18-year-old Webster had interest from a host of European clubs, including Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven. He is set to stay at Chelsea now along with Mothersille.
There is an issue regarding youth player contracts at Chelsea. 12 youth-team stars are out of contract in June. The pathway to first-team football seems tricky with a bulk of signings made by the new regime, mainly focusing on top young talents.
Webster is a promising young midfielder who can operate either as a defensive midfielder or as a box-to-box player. He has made 18 appearances in all competitions for the Blues youth side this season, scoring five goals.
Mothersille, on the other hand, is an exciting striker who can play on the left wing. He has scored seven goals and assisted two in 17 appearances in all youth competitions.
As much as it is clear what Todd Boehly’s strategy is to buy the top young talents and develop them here, there needs to be a focus on developing the young talents who are already there in the academy.
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Just letting them go for free once their contracts expire is not good for the future of the Chelsea academy. Players who are at the club from such a young age need to have the motivation and a pathway that doing well in youth games will lead to them getting chances for the senior team. A balance striking is a must.