The Chelsea fans in the Transfer Tavern think that, under Antonio Conte, things are changing at Stamford Bridge…
In the past, young players have struggled to get much of a chance in the Chelsea first team – but under Conte, the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathaniel Chalobah and Ola Aina are all more or less fully fledged members of the Blues’ first team.
However, one player that was not privy to the change – having left Chelsea in 2015 – is Josh McEachran, who was once touted as a future star. After struggling for game time at Chelsea, McEachran left the club – and he now finds himself as Brentford.
Now, several years after the fact, McEachran has spoken to the Daily Mail – and revealed that he thinks he didn’t succeed at Stamford Bridge because of a lack of ‘opportunity’.
McEachran said: “At 17 or 18, I was good enough to play for Chelsea. I still think I could play for Chelsea”.
He continued: “It’s just about the opportunity. You need confidence. I had that with Carlo [Ancelotti]”.
McEachran was also unfortunate with timing, with the managerial door swinging a number of times after Ancelotti’s departure – with Mourinho the manager to eventually move McEachran on.
McEachran’s story is one that has been repeated a number of times over since he left the club, with the likes of Lucas Piazon and Gael Kakuta a few of the latest players not to live up to their potential.
With Antonio Conte, times could very well be changing – but it is up to the Italian to ensure that, unlike Josh, the next round of Chelsea’s young players are given a chance.
Chelsea fans – thoughts?
Let us know below!
