Last July, it was at the Vitality Stadium on a calm summer evening when an unexpected breakthrough would take its first steps. Trevoh Chalobah emerged for the second half to feature in a back-three alongside Matt Miazga and Jake Clarke-Salter.
Given this was the first pre-season friendly containing a flurry of names who would either be loaned out or sold permanently, it was hard to take much of what happened that seriously. Though Chalobah would slowly gain favour, remaining with Tuchel's squad throughout further pre-season preparations before gaining his promotion into the first-team squad.
Chalobah has not looked back since, signing a new contract with the club in November and starting the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool. The benefit of Chalobah's emergence was that the pursuit of Jules Kounde falling through at the end of the window did not feel that big a blow.
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Chalobah continued the trend of academy talent, proving invaluable when problems arise that the club cannot easily solve within the transfer window. A trend that could become even more crucial this summer as Chelsea's next owner remains unknown at the time of writing.
A player that could repeat Chalobah's success in 2022 is Dujon Sterling, an academy graduate who also featured against Bournemouth in that pre-season friendly last year. Sterling was involved during the early weeks of pre-season before securing a season-long loan to Blackpool in the Championship.
After a series of injury setbacks and an illness that threatened his career, Sterling has been able to get back on the pitch this season and gain valuable minutes on the coast, becoming a regular feature on the right side of Neil Critchley's defence, either as a right wing-back or natural fullback. Gaining 24 appearances for Blackpool, Sterling has got the experience he went out to attain.
When reflecting on the last pre-season under Tuchel, Sterling was very positive. "It was one of the best pre-seasons I've had," Sterling explains to football.london. "I felt really good, and I had the confidence back to play my game and try to impress.
"And it was great to get a positive reaction from the supporters, especially after the Arsenal game. I had good words from Tuchel – he believed in me felt I should get out and get game time."
Sterling played as a right wing-back and has played as a centre back and on the right-wing for the academy. Like many players who come through Cobham, there's a level of versatility and maturity that has made the transition from youth to senior football smooth for many, particularly after fruitful loans in England's second tier.
Sterling came up with many Cobham stars who now feature for Tuchel regularly or play in Europe's top leagues. Alongside Reece James, Fikayo Tomori, Chalobah, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham, Sterling won three FA Youth Cups and lifted two UEFA Youth Leagues.
And as Chelsea look towards this summer, a potential backup to Reece James is a tricky position to fill, especially if Cesar Azpilicueta departs at the end of his contract. The buyback option for Tino Livramento will not become active until 2023, and Sterling's impressive showings last year offer an internal solution to compete with James.
Given the number of games Chelsea play and injuries suffered this term, the idea of having too big a squad is probably being tested. Sterling provides another chance to repeat Chalobah's success this pre-season. At the very least, it would be nice to see him included again for the warmup games as other areas of the squad are prioritised to strengthen externally.
