Our Chelsea fans here in the Transfer Tavern are hoping boss Antonio Conte will invest in youth in the FA Cup third round tie against Norwich City.

A longtime argument of Chelsea since Roman Abramovic took over is that they don’t give their youth players enough chances in the first team, often opting for them to go out on loan to gain first-team experience.

Chelsea’s loan list is as long as the tab, the locals have clocked up over the festive period. However, against Championship opposition, Conte may be inclined to test out a sprinkle of youth in the team to bleed some new life into the squad.

The FA Cup can be a good distraction and may offer an easier target to bring in some silverware than trying to catch Man City and retain their Premier League title, alongside giving youth a chance, surely the Italian might want to showcase his talent for further loans down the line.

Our landlord takes a look at two players that could put themselves in the Stamford Bridge limelight…

Ethan Ampadu

The young Welshman’s fledgeling career has moved fast in the few months he’s been at Chelsea, from making his club and Premier League debut to debuting for his national side all in the space of the latter half of the year.

Despite his tender age, the 17-year-old is a commanding and authoritative presence already and he very much needs to keep that up if he’s going to break into the first team at such a big club like Chelsea. Another good game from the Welshman can only add to his already rising stock.

Charly Musonda

Having just put pen to paper on a long-term contract, Musonda will be looking at going out on loan in the second half of the season with potential destinations being Inter Milan and Sevilla.

A solid and all-around good performance in the FA Cup could really open some doors for the young Belgian playmaker, who’ll be hoping to mirror his fellow club and countryman Eden Hazard glittering career.