Conor Gallagher has praised the impact of Chelsea's Neil Bath and Jim Fraser for the presence of so many Cobham-developed players in the England squad ahead of fixtures against Hungary, Germany and Italy. The Blues midfielder is one of seven players in the England camp to have spent some time training with Chelsea in their youth.
Bath has headed up Chelsea's Academy operation for 18 years alongside his assistant Fraser. Recent years have seen a great deal of success, with several homegrown players breaking through into the first team under Frank Lampard and maintaining their place under Thomas Tuchel. The likes of Reece James, Mason Mount, Trevoh Chalobah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Andres Christensen all came through Chelsea's age groups and into the Premier League. Even in a difficult year for the Blues' under-23s, Harvey Vale, Lewis Hall, Xavier Simons and Jude Soonsup-Bell all earned debuts in cup competitions.
Chelsea's presence in the England squad is becoming equally clear. Gallagher, along with Mount, James, Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori, Declan Rice and Tammy Abraham, all enjoyed part of their development with the club. The 22-year-old was keen to credit the people at the top of the academy.
