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Scouting expert: Chelsea academy sales pushed by loan rules change
We’re delighted to welcome Football Manager’s Wolves researcher Dave Azzopardi as our exclusive columnist. Each week the scouting expert will be giving his views on the biggest talking points on Wonderkids across the UK…
Chelsea are prepared to sell their young academy stars rather than loan them out because of the impending change to loan rules, says Dave Azzopardi.
Levi Colwill looks set to be the next player from the Chelsea production line to leave for a top flight club, following the likes of Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi.
But with Blues fans unhappy that the club are spending big money rather than developing their own youth products, Azzopardi feels the new rule changes and the club’s ambitions mean they simply don’t have the time to wait for the players to reach a certain level.
“It’s the Chelsea thing again,” he told The Football Wonderkids.
“I’ve been quite surprised by the players they’ve signed. I think for Chelsea, I know some of their fans will probably be disappointed with selling him and maybe a loan move could’ve worked, but with the loan rules changing I think clubs are more inclined to sell these players at the minute.
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“I think for Chelsea they obviously want to be challenging for the Champions League and Premier League and no disrespect to Colwill but I don’t think he’s quite at that level yet.
“I’m not saying he’s a bad player because he had a good season last year in the Championship and I think he’s ready to make the step up, and there’s a couple of teams there like Leicester who could probably do with strengthening their back line a little bit and they’d be a good fit for him.
“It’s hard, because they have done it before where they’ve got players in and around the first-team now that were part of the academy. Obviously the likes of Tammy Abraham aren’t there anymore, but Mason Mount and so on are there.
“I think for Chelsea, there is a strange time for them right now with the change of ownership as well. But I think the academy yes, as a fan you do want to see players come through the academy and break into the first team. But as well the academy is such a good way for the football club to make money.
In other Chelsea news, Callum Hudson-Odoi is likely to leave this summer according to this journalist