Fair assessment. I would be for Tomori going on loan to a strong league somewhere to get a full season as first choice.

James and Tammy have lost form second half of season but have shown enough to still make me think both could be important players for us going forward, as they continue to grow and get consistency

comment by Kunta Kante (U1641)
posted 2 hours, 26 minutes ago
Fair assessment. I would be for Tomori going on loan to a strong league somewhere to get a full season as first choice.

James and Tammy have lost form second half of season but have shown enough to still make me think both could be important players for us going forward, as they continue to grow and get consistency
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I'd disagree that James has lost form. He'd only played a small role anyway, with his late, injury hit start to the season and has only really been understudy to Dave, therefore I'd say he didn't have that much form to be judged on anyway.

I think next season will be more of a barometer to judge him by.

Likewise, probably not that much to go on to make any informative comment on Gilmour and Tomori, apart from gut feeling tells me the future looks bright for Billy!

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Good article

James - 6 is fair. Had to odd poor game but the potential's clearly there. Looking forward to seeing more next season.

Tomori - 6 aswell for me. Really exceeded expectations the last two years. Got the occasional lapse of concentration while equally locked down Salah in one game. Wanna see more before the end of the season.

Gilmour - 9. Love him, bloody shame he's injured. Three games is all I need to see he'll have a very good career. Plays DM almost as good as Jorginho does, got the same cool head & savvy passing, just needs to hit the gym

Mount - solid 8. Lampard light basically. Future definitely lies playing no.8, great movement & workrate on & off the ball. Technically could be better if you're nitpicking but I'd take his strengths over that weakness everyday (the reverse is Barkley who I've never rated).

CHO - 5 is sound, it can't be higher. Frustration is the word on so many levels, both with the player & expectations from the media & some fans - those who bash him & those who laud him as Messi 2.0 (and I fell into the former not long ago). Just have to wait and see really.

Abraham - 7's fair. Like Tomori really exceeded expectations. His all round game's more than good enough to be a squad player going forward. Finishing's hit & miss but his natural game puts him in good positions enough to still bag plenty of goals. I do fear Werner might wind up taking his spot overtime but just puts the onus on him to improve even more. I'm happy with him.

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I'd personally put Mount on top of this list, I think he's been incredible.

He's been the most consistent throughout, with his only real dip in form coming mid-season when he'd probably played most minutes out of anyone in the squad (rivaling only Azpi I'd imagine).

Mount - 9
Everyone else - 6/7

All the young players have had injuries at points of the season, which they have been fighting and/or struggling to shake-off.

They are still coming to terms with the physical elements that Frank and the league demands, for all intents and purposes...they've taken to it extremely well in their first full season at a tough competitive high-level with all the challenges (injuries, adapting, taxing training sessions and matches etc).

Normal process of acclimatising, developing and a learning curve 📈
As time goes by...young players will get used to the rigours and become efficient.

We are where we are in the table and CL mainly down to their contributions, some will do well to remember that before lambasting or brainlessly directing expletives towards them, through signs of adversity.


________________________________________


I'll start with Tomori...The only academy graduate that has exceeded my expectations.

Pleasantly surprised by how he's taken to the top-level step-up, especially given that he's predominantly right-footed playing as a left-sided CB which is turning into a bit of a specialist position. Needs to get on top of the creeping errors that have been ever-present in his game.


__________________________________________

In the case of Tammy...played a lot and carrying injuries during matches, currently getting himself back to fitness from that bad clash with the billboards and resulting ankle injury.

Always possessed all round game just needed refinement and manager that will empower, push/pressure him to progress to the next level with the added incentive of retaining his place in the first-choice starting line-up and has repaid the managers belief in him.
Having said that...will need to improve near-post movements and defending near-post deliveries.
Happy with his progress.


__________________________________________


Reece was building quite the partnership with Hudson-Odoi at this level (before injuries disrupted that), which was no surprise for me.
They've played, come through together and struck a great understanding since the age of 9!
Without Hudson-Odoi alongside to complement his play, that is a limiting factor in Reece' performance at right-back or wing-back.
Infinitely better/bigger attacking threat connecting together on the pitch.

Reece is the archetypal modern day fullback conducive to everything Frank (& Jody) is looking to achieve from that position.
We've not seen anywhere near the best of his ability yet, he wont be afforded time to grow by dolts (amongst the fanbase on here & outside of here) that have no patience, only seek immediate impact/results and enjoy being pessimistic at every opportunity (fashionable).
Those dolts now using the performances of Lamptey at Brighton, to discredit and slander James.

__________________________________________

Hudson-Odoi (Brace yourselves for a long post on him): The main victim of beratement, fatuous and slanderous statements by idiots...absolute blithering irrational idiots!
Slandering his ability, mentality, character, application/ethic on the pitch (from last season to this season).

Real support for him are in the minority. Some still hold a (senseless) grudge against him, usually the ones that were staunch Sarri defenders (for the perceived way he handled the contract), which clouds their judgment.
To the point that they refuse to acknowledge and overlook the significant direct impact that he's made this season (in league matches & CL) giving him credit where due, they'll rather point-out trivial things like when he gives the ball-away (big petty agenda against him by brainless brown-nosing sheep).
Petty agenda is evident when Gilmour who has been less impactful this season, is getting significantly higher marks and ratings.

When all the while this kid is topping the important advanced (underlying) metrics and been very competitive against Europe's best in his age bracket and much older.
Without having had any pre-season, starting out his career...coming back from one of the most serious (potentially career-ending) injuries that can happen to an explosive attacker.

High-quality metrics this season confirming what I've already known and see...Phenomenal Super


To hit the ground-running like he did with those 4 consecutive assists (3 PL + 1 CL beautiful set-up for Willian winner in opening match) coming-back from a long lay-off without pre-season, is nothing short of remarkable.
Became the second youngest player in Premier League history to assist in three consecutive appearances, behind only a certain Michael Owen.
That impact was keeping Pulisic out of the team momentarily and ultimately a contributing factor in Pulisic’s improvement.


Wonderful creative outlet…with an elite speed of play, that's been evident this season when he's played. Particuarly starting matches.

I’m not even the only one with that view…certain peoples trusted source for player analysis recognises Hudson-Odoi’s footballing IQ excellence and potency when he has played this season in CL & PL… https://www.coachesvoice.com/chelsea-callum-hudson-odoi-lampard-bayern-munich/

Didn't even mention his influence in turning the game around in the 4-4 draw against Ajax from the bench, Or man of the match performances against Newcastle (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1207345884935131136/pu/vid/1280x720/HSJYCRLb90ojYyV8.mp4 )
&
Arsenal (https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1220075642672361473/pu/vid/1280x720/pxw0D8pxS2LvRgCH.mp4 ) which were far more evident of his qualities.

Huge player, that has gone through quite a lot of mental challenges in his short career and has come through it with flying colours.
Easy to see why Hudson-Odoi is revered by current coaches and teammates at club and international level.
Tremendous mental fortitude and ability.

The great thing is his talent hasn't even began to scratch the surface or become maximised yet! Let that sink-in.


All things considered...has done very well to this point, shown the right application and receptive to learning (see his first goal against Burnley, which Frank remarked that he had been working hard on with those blindside off the ball movements into the 6-yard box).

Timing off the ball movements was always the one glaring attribute that I felt Hudson-Odoi could exponentially improve (touched on that many a time before season had started).

I'll give marks at the end of the season.

comment by Chelseamf™®© (U1677)
posted 12 hours, 27 minutes ago
I'll give marks at the end of the season.
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Yeah..I guess another four games will make a massive difference

Good set of youngsters overall...one or two need more game time, to learn their craft better (James Tomori)

Tammy has been disappointing of late, dreadful balance issues for some reason.

Young Callum needs to get his attitude right & stop believing his own hype

Mount...coming along very nicely

Billy - very early days & now injured...let's see how he recovers

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comment by Blue in the face ⚽️ (U22288)
posted 33 minutes ago
Hudson Odoi has been a huge disappointment and will be lucky to remain in the squad next season.
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CHO has so much to prove. At the moment his notable achiements have occurred off the pitch.

There were early indications that he could strike up a partnership with RJ and that he has the talent to produce more end product than Willian.

But its all too brief glimpses atm. A young player that needs to get his head down and get his Chelsea career on track.

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

comment by SWTN - Judas is number 1 (U7916)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by Blue in the face ⚽️ (U22288)
posted 33 minutes ago
Hudson Odoi has been a huge disappointment and will be lucky to remain in the squad next season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CHO has so much to prove. At the moment his notable achiements have occurred off the pitch.

There were early indications that he could strike up a partnership with RJ and that he has the talent to produce more end product than Willian.

But its all too brief glimpses atm. A young player that needs to get his head down and get his Chelsea career on track.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course he has much to prove Biggish, as does any young player trying to show he's worth a place in the squad or team.

However, they have to be given that chance, and in CHO's case I don't believe he's had a chance to properly show what he can do.

I personally thought he was doing ok for a young player of his age when he picked up that very bad injury v Burnley. He spent a long time out, when he returned to fitness he was used sparingly and then CV disrupted the league, so I don't get how his progress (or lack of it) can be fairly judged at this point.

It seems a common theme, that when a talent such as CHO emerges with a high expectation and doesn't hit the ground running straight away, people are a little too quick to write them off before they've started.

Even talents like CHO need to be nurtured gently, however if there's any truth about his off field shenanigans are true, then yeah he needs to get his head down and concentrate on his football.

Hudson-Odoi is going to become a fantastic player as long as he avoids anymore serious injury problems. We haven't seen anywhere near the best of him, especially since his return from that very serious injury.

comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 9 minutes ago
Hudson-Odoi is going to become a fantastic player as long as he avoids anymore serious injury problems. We haven't seen anywhere near the best of him, especially since his return from that very serious injury.
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Hopefully so Superb!

Me too Brummie, I just hope it happens for him at Chelsea and not elsewhere.

Hopefully once this horrendous season is over, he can get a decent pre season to gain full fitness and show what he can do next season.

I think he has too much talent to fail, like you say Superb, hopefully it's for us!

comment by BrummieBlue! (U3487)
posted 7 hours, 14 minutes ago
comment by SWTN - Judas is number 1 (U7916)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by Blue in the face ⚽️ (U22288)
posted 33 minutes ago
Hudson Odoi has been a huge disappointment and will be lucky to remain in the squad next season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CHO has so much to prove. At the moment his notable achiements have occurred off the pitch.

There were early indications that he could strike up a partnership with RJ and that he has the talent to produce more end product than Willian.

But its all too brief glimpses atm. A young player that needs to get his head down and get his Chelsea career on track.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course he has much to prove Biggish, as does any young player trying to show he's worth a place in the squad or team.

However, they have to be given that chance, and in CHO's case I don't believe he's had a chance to properly show what he can do.

I personally thought he was doing ok for a young player of his age when he picked up that very bad injury v Burnley. He spent a long time out, when he returned to fitness he was used sparingly and then CV disrupted the league, so I don't get how his progress (or lack of it) can be fairly judged at this point.

It seems a common theme, that when a talent such as CHO emerges with a high expectation and doesn't hit the ground running straight away, people are a little too quick to write them off before they've started.

Even talents like CHO need to be nurtured gently, however if there's any truth about his off field shenanigans are true, then yeah he needs to get his head down and concentrate on his football.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
His wages should have been nurtured gently too. Giving players rewards that they haven't earnt ruins them.

And I am sick of seeing AC in a Chelsea shirt

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

comment by SWTN - Judas is number 1 (U7916)
posted 3 hours, 22 minutes ago
And I am sick of seeing AC in a Chelsea shirt
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I think the faith I had in him 3 years ago is beginning to look ill judged.

I had high hopes for him, at 24 he should be looking the part, however he's looking miles away from what I had expected!

What the hell has gone wrong with rudiger lately