The Chelsea youngsters who could impress Mauricio Pochettino in pre-season

Chelsea's academy has long been the source of envy for Premier League clubs up and down the country.

'La Cobham', as it's known by Blues supporters (well, those that have a Twitter account), played a crucial role in stabilising the club amid its transfer ban in 2019. The likes of Mason Mount and Reece James emerged as legitimate stars in the wake of their breakthroughs. The former has joined Man Utd for an initial £55m, while the latter is regarded as one of the world's very best right-backs.

The path to the first-team hasn't always been clear for Chelsea's academy stars, with the club's riches meaning lucrative overseas additions have been favoured over the nurturing of their own.

And while Mauricio Pochettino's entrusting of youth is a borderline myth, he'll undoubtedly give the current core of Chelsea's young guns chances to impress in pre-season.

Here are five names to keep an eye on this summer.

Gabriel Slonina

Gabriel Slonina gained plenty of senior experience in MLS with the Chicago Fire aged just 17 before moving to Chelsea in 2022.

The American goalkeeper of Polish descent has represented the US at various youth levels and has earned one cap for the USMNT. Now 19, Slonina is undoubtedly gifted with a ton of potential, and there could be a pathway to first team minutes should he impress in pre-season.

While Kepa Arrizabalaga is expected to be the club's number one, Edouard Mendy's departure means Slonina will battle it out with veteran Marcus Bettinelli for the back-up spot in the depth chart.

Harvey Vale

Harvey Vale has featured sporadically for the first team since making his debut in an EFL Cup tie against Brentford in December 2021. However, many believe the versatile attacker deserves more opportunities to shine at a senior level.

The 2021/22 Academy Player of the Year has starred in Premier League 2, but other youth options, such as Carney Chukwuemeka and Lewis Hall, a midfielder deployed at left-back, have been handed more chances to shine than Vale, who was loaned out to Hull last season.

The midfielder's spell in the second tier proved to be a waste of time as he made just two league appearances. Vale, who captains England U20s, deserves a shot to impress Poch this summer, especially with Mount departing the club.

Tino Anjorin

The 21-year-old is perhaps further along in his development than the likes of Vale, and reports suggest Tino Anjorin will spend the 2023/24 season out on loan.

The creative midfielder has spent the last two seasons on loan at Huddersfield, where he's been limited to 15 Championship appearances. Anjorin previously dazzled for Chelsea's U21s, but the Blues academy graduate has made just five senior appearances for the club.

Unfortunately for Anjorin, there are multiple youth stars vying for senior minutes in his position and the man most likely to get the opportunities is Cesare Casadei.

Cesare Casadei

Cesare Casadei's majestic U20 World Cup campaign must've caught the eye of Pochettino. The imposing midfielder won the Golden Boot and Ball awards as Italy were beaten in the final by Uruguay.

The 20-year-old is regarded as one of the most exciting Italian talents of his generation, and he's been pictured in pre-season training ahead of Chelsea's trip to the USA.

Casadei spent the second half of last season on loan at Reading. But while another loan would make sense at this stage, Chelsea supporters would love to see the young Italian in action over the summer.

Diego Moreira

Diego Moreira enjoyed a brief spell at Benfica's famed academy before being snapped up by Chelsea at the start of the summer transfer window. The young winger ran his contract down with the Portuguese giants after notching just one appearance with the first-team in Lisbon.

However, the 18-year-old offered a glimpse of his sizeable talent during Benfica's successful UEFA Youth League campaign in 2021/22. Benfica were the dominant force and Moreira played a leading role. The exuberant winger contributed to all four goals in the 4-0 rout of Sporting CP in the quarter-finals and notched two assists in the 6-0 win over Red Bull Salzburg in the final.

An unknown commodity to most Chelsea fans, Moreira could surprise plenty if he's given the opportunity to shine by Poch this summer.

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