It is a testament to how impactful Trevoh Chalobah has been in his breakthrough season that Chelsea fans are already posing the question "who will be the Chalobah of this summer?"
Referring to an academy graduate that few of us expected to get minutes, who ends up becoming a trusted member of Thomas Tuchel's first-team squad. Unlike last summer, there are more contenders. Conor Gallagher, Billy Gilmour, Ethan Amapdu, Levil Colwill, Armando Broja and Ian Maatsen are all returning from loans.
But the player that might offer the most value is Dujon Sterling, who spent the past season at Blackpool in the Championship. The 22-year-old was among the youngsters involved in pre-season preparations last summer under Tuchel, impressing on the right-side of the back-three and as a wingback before opting for a loan away.
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Sterling, like many of his Cobham counterparts, has great versatility playing across Blackpool's backline as a wingback and centre-back. After receiving his senior Chelsea debut under Antonio Conte in September 2017, Sterling spent time at Coventry and Wigan.
After 24 appearances under Neil Critchley in 2021/22, the chance for Sterling to secure a place at his parent club has probably never been stronger than the upcoming pre-season as Tuchel aims to rebuild his squad. However, there are some already wishing for the club to invest more in new wingback options, advocating for Brighton's Marc Cucurella and more consistently, Barcelona's Sergino Dest.
Dest was linked to Stamford Bridge back in January as the Blues searched for a solution to Ben Chilwell's ACL injury that kept him out from November until the final day of the season in May. At 21, a USMT international and gaining over 30 appearances already for a giant like Barcelona, it is obvious why his talent has gained admirers.
But given the age of Sterling, Tuchel's knowledge of him and the lack of cost in promoting an academy product, there needs to be more consideration when urging the club to spend more.
The problem Chelsea has run into across recent years in the transfer market is not only the major flops but the lack of quality in what would be classed as 'backup signings', the players acquired to fill out the squad. The likes of Emerson Palmieri, Ross Barkley, Davide Zappacosta, Danny Drinkwater, Malang Sarr and Saul Niguez.
How many of those players actually can be classed as success stories? You'd fairly argue none. Only three were actually in the Chelsea squad last season and there's a chance none of them remains beyond this summer. The wages and transfer fees have proved restrictive for players that have failed and have not been sold. The benefit of instead using homegrown players in those roles has two benefits.
Firstly, you are not spending on costly wages that could limit investment in other areas and secondly, those players could prove to be more than squad-fillers, as Chalobah proved last season. Sterling also has the Cobham mentality that prepares these players for the pressures of Chelsea, along with the expectation to win consistently that the consortium led by Todd Boehly aims to maintain in the new era.
Dest is an exciting talent and could develop into a better one, but is it worth spending over £20m on a player when Chelsea could instead promote through the ranks for free?
