Chelsea’s transfer policy over the last few years has attracted a lot of negative attention, and with good reason. But there are gems among the mass of signings since Todd Boehly’s takeover. They’ve made a piece of Premier League history this season, and if you read on we'll explain how another unique record could tumble on Sunday.
The Blues face Brentford in an unusual 7pm kick-off this Sunday looking to close the gap on league leaders Liverpool and manager Enzo Maresca might have a brand new trick up his sleeve.
SCOUTED has been looking into the details and identified that Chelsea are the only Premier League team averaging more than two points per game with an average age under 25.
Chelsea’s youngsters could be in line for a Premier League first
Maresca named seven starters aged 23 and under for Chelsea’s entertaining win against Tottenham Hotspur and there could be more to come. The best news for Blues supporters is how little the quality of their team would drop if more of their young guns were included in the side.
No manager in the history of the Premier League has named a team exclusively made up of players aged 23 and under. Maresca could do so relatively easily and almost none of his team would be shy of Premier League experience.
The all-U23 starting eleven identified by SCOUTED features players with a total of 538 Premier League appearances already under their belts.
Only Renato Veiga and goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen have fewer than 30 Premier League appearances.
At the other end of the scale, Moises Caicedo has amassed 95 for Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion. Cole Palmer has played 67 times in the top flight for the Blues and Manchester City. Wesley Fofana has played 64 times in the league for Chelsea and Leicester City.
Enzo Fernandez has 60 Premier League appearances and a World Cup winner’s medal to his name and would still be eligible for a Chelsea U23 eleven completed by Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson.
That’s a team packed to the gills with Chelsea regulars and it isn’t unreasonable to expect Maresca to take a chance on a similar eleven in the near future should circumstances dictate a change or two at the back.
Chelsea’s starting eleven against Spurs featured Colwill, Caicedo, captain Fernandez, Palmer and Jackson along with 23-year-old Benoit Badiashile and 20-year-old Romeo Lavia.
They started with no fewer than nine players aged 23 or under against Wolverhampton Wanderers in August and are the only Premier League team to have played at least seven U23 players for at least 45 minutes this season, which they’ve done 14 times in 15 games.
Chelsea are second in the table and, if their youthfulness is any indication, they could be challenging for some time. Look out for their starting line-up on Sunday and see if history is indeed made.
