Chelsea have always had a remarkable youth set-up. This has, in turn, produced some of the most exciting youth talents in the game. This has been seen once again this season.
Maurizio Sarri’s team have used their young prospects particularly well in the Championship this season. England’s second tier has become a happy hunting ground for these young players otherwise short of game time to become more experienced in one of the toughest divisions in football.
Tomas Kalas and Jay Dasilva performed well and helped Bristol City in their valiant attempt to push for a place in the play-offs and quickly became fan favourites at the club.
So too did Lewis Baker who spent a season with Reading and undoubtably played a key role in their revival in avoiding relegation to League One.
Play-off final with strong Chelsea presence
But above all, their most successful loan stories this season will be on showcase in the coming Monday at Wembley Stadium.
Three Chelsea loan players will feature in the dramatic Championship play-off final.
Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount will play for Derby County whilst Tammy Abraham will represent the Blues in the claret colours of Aston Villa.
All three have been immense this season and are a true testament of Chelsea’s exceptional young talent.
Tomori has been a colossus for the Rams this season and won their ‘Fan’s Player of the Year’ award. The centre-back has been at the heart of Derby’s resolute defence at Pride Park. He has made more tackles and won more one-on-one duels than any other Derby player this season.
As for Mount, well, Derby simply look lost without him. The Rams slipped from fourth to ninth when Mount fell out of the squad through injury. On his return, they were instantly boosted back up to a spot on the play-offs.
Mount has thrived under the close watch of manager Frank Lampard. The creative attacking midfielder couldn’t have asked for a better coach to help progress his promising career. Mount has managed 11 goals and five assists in all competitions this season.
Abraham is one of Chelsea’s better-known loanees having played for Chelsea before. Prior to this season he also spent a year with Swansea City in the Premier League. The striker has enjoyed his most successful season to date in the Championship managing 26 goals.
A hat-trick on Monday would see Abraham draw level for the Championship golden boot.
All players are more than likely to start in the match on Monday and will certainly be wanting to show their respective talents on one of the biggest matches in the English football season.