Rosenior confirms Academy wingers to join Chelsea squad in Wrexham

The cup competitions have long provided opportunities for young players and that has been the case again this season at Chelsea, with several teenagers from our Academy involved with the men’s team during our FA Cup and League Cup campaigns.

Next up, the Blues travel away to Wrexham in the fifth round of the FA Cup, and Rosenior has opened the door for more opportunities, with Derry and Kavuma-McQueen both travelling to Wales as part of his squad after impressing our head coach in training.

Derry made his senior debut for Rosenior in the last round of this competition, coming on for Estevao Willian for the final 15 minutes of the 4-0 win at Hull City, while Kavuma-McQueen was an unused substitute for the home victory over Ajax in the UEFA Champions League earlier in the season.

‘Ryan and Jesse will travel with the group, so they will be part of the squad for Wrexham,’ said Rosenior, who is helped by having former Chelsea Under-21s head coach Calum McFarlane as one of his assistants.

‘I’m very fortunate to have Calum in our staff, who has an unbelievable understanding of the Academy, the players that are coming through. I want to develop players from within this Academy as well, so they’ll be travelling with us.

‘Jesse’s really impressed me, Ryan's impressed, but it’s not just those two. There have been a few that I’ve got to see in training when they’ve been brought up that I’m really happy with.

‘Reggie Watson has trained with us a few times, he’s really impressed me. It’s scary the age that he is. Young Mahdi [Nicoll-Jazuli] has been up a few times, he’s an outstanding talent as well.

‘There are some outstanding young players in the group. We just need to make sure we put them in at the right time and they get the experiences that they need to continue their development.’

With several graduates from the Chelsea Academy already firmly established in his senior squad, it is clear that Rosenior knows the value of promoting young talent from within, meaning he keeps a close eye on the younger age groups.

‘I was at the FA Youth Cup game [against Manchester City], I’ve seen a few of the Under-21s games, watched a lot of clips with Calum from his time before me with the group as well, to get to know the young players.

‘There’s nothing better than giving a young player who has come through the Academy their debut, or seeing them grow. Look at Reece [James] now, or Trevoh Chalobah, and what this club means to them.

‘That should always be in your thinking, to want to develop, and this is an outstanding Academy that has produced so many incredible players through the years. We want to continue that and make sure the pathway for those players is there.’

It is not just our head coach who is keen to help the young players from our Academy continue their development, either. Several of the senior Chelsea players can frequently be seen heading across the road at Cobham or paying a visit to Kingsmeadow to watch our Under-18s and Under-21s teams.

Rosenior believes that willingness to support their younger colleagues demonstrates the great mentality within the senior squad, as well as the obvious benefits for the Academy players when they get the chance to train with the men’s team.

‘The players decided to do it (go to Academy games), which is great, because I don’t need to encourage it,’ added Rosenior. ‘They take a real interest in football.

‘They’re a great group, they want to help the young players come through because they know they were young players themselves. A lot of the players go to watch the games to support the young players and help them. That’s a really good culture to benefit from.’

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