Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is confident the club’s Academy stars can rise to the challenge when handed a chance to impress in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against AFC Wimbledon.
Pochettino is set to fully utilise all the options at his disposal for the visit of the Sky Bet League Two side, looking to manage the workload on a squad which is already depleted by injury.
Forward Mason Burstow, midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu and Noni Madueke have all come off the bench in the Premier League this season so could be handed a start, while Diego Moreira and defender Bashir Humphreys may also be involved.
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Whatever side he selects, Pochettino has no doubt the talented teenagers will have what it takes to make the step up.
“We are thinking to start with 11 players that can perform in the way that we want,” Pochettino told a press conference.
“(We want to be) right in our assessment, in our risk because you have many injuries and the squad is not big at the moment.
“We are going to use four or five young guys from the academy – 17 years old, 16 years old – but Chelsea has always produced good talent, young kids and now is a good opportunity.
“It is not because it is our philosophy at the moment, it is because we need to bring young guys to the first team because we have some players that cannot play tomorrow.
“But I think it should be good to create the possibility for the young guys to be part of the project, part of producing players for the first team because the Academy and the coaches there are working so hard.
“For a club like Chelsea, it is always good to have players from the Academy that can translate the identity of the club.”
Pochettino refused to be drawn on continued transfer speculation, with defender Marc Cucurella reportedly subject of interest from Manchester United.
“I cannot talk about supposition or rumours. For tomorrow he (Cucurella) is going to be able to play,” the Chelsea boss said.
“The club did not communicate (anything else) to me. All of the players that are in our squad are in our plans even if they didn’t play at the moment.”
With Chelsea not involved in European football this season, Pochettino intends to focus on just one thing – winning matches, whatever the competition.
“I want to win the Carabao Cup, I want to win the FA Cup and I want to win the Premier League, then we will see what happens after,” the former Tottenham boss said.
“Even if we are involved in the next few years in the Champions League or different European competitions – every single one is going to be a challenge for us and an opportunity to win.”
Chelsea, who beat Luton on Friday night for a first Premier League win of the new season, have agreed a season-long loan deal with Roma for Romelu Lukaku.
The Blues have already spent around £350million on new arrivals during the transfer window and have been linked with bringing in at least one more attacking player – with Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe reportedly on the radar.
Pochettino said: “I know very well that the club is working very hard to try and finish our business with still a few days, so I think that will happen, maybe yes (another player).
“At the moment, we are working to try and deliver what we want, but there is nothing to communicate at the moment.”
Pochettino added: “If we had someone who can maybe improve different positions, of course they are welcome, but I am happy with how we are now.”
Nuno demands Premier League resolves PSR 'mess' as Forest await appeal verdict
Nuno Espirito Santo has called for the Premier League to provide clarity as Nottingham Forest wait on their appeal against a four-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules, describing the situation as a "mess".
Forest were deducted four points in March after being found to have breached the competition's financial rules in the assessment period culminating in the end of the 2022-23 season.
Everton have also had a total of eight points deducted for two separate breaches, but with the Toffees pulling clear of the relegation zone, it is Forest who are looking over their shoulders.
Nuno's team sit just one point clear of 18th-placed Luton Town as they await the outcome of an appeal against their penalty, and he says the lack of clarity is affecting several clubs.
Asked whether he had received an update on Forest's appeal on Thursday, Nuno said: "Unfortunately we haven't heard yet.
"We are expecting to, but not yet. It is very difficult. We have been dealing with this situation for a while.
"We all expected the decision to come sooner, so we would know exactly how many points we have. Do we have 30, 29, 28, 27? We need it as fast as possible.
"To have 30 points would be fantastic, because this is the number of points that the boys achieved on the pitch.
"It is a mess. It should have been decided before. They have had enough time. It is very difficult for us but also for the rest of the league. It is very hard to be in this situation."
Forest visit already-relegated Sheffield United on Saturday, having taken just one point from four Premier League games since beating Fulham 3-1 in early April.
They could be in the relegation zone by the time that match kicks off, with Luton hosting Everton in a huge clash at Kenilworth Road on Friday.
France defender Hernandez to miss Euro 2024 after suffering ACL injury
Lucas Hernandez will miss France's Euro 2024 campaign after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during Paris Saint-Germain's 1-0 Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund will take a slender lead to the Parc des Princes for next week's semi-final second leg after Niclas Fullkrug's strike powered them past PSG in Wednesday's first leg in Germany.
Hernandez sustained a knee injury while chasing after Fullkrug in the build-up to the goal and was substituted after a brief attempt to play on.
On Thursday, PSG announced an MRI scan had revealed an ACL tear in his left knee, which will require surgery in the coming days.
Hernandez, who has 37 senior international caps, will now miss Euro 2024, with France set to open their Group D campaign against Austria in Dusseldorf on June 17.
Didier Deschamps' side then face the Netherlands in Leipzig four days later, before taking on Poland in Dortmund on June 25.
Hernandez was part of France's squad for the 2022 World Cup but sustained another ligament injury during Les Bleus' opening match against Australia, missing the rest of the tournament and not returning to club football until the start of 2023-24.
Tonali set for August return after receiving suspended two-month ban from FA
Sandro Tonali has been given a suspended two-month ban by the Football Association (FA) after admitting to breaching gambling rules.
The sanction means the Newcastle United midfielder will be eligible to return to action on August 27, 2024, when his 10-month suspension issued by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) expires.
FIFA ratified that ban, causing it to become applicable worldwide, after Tonali admitted to placing bets on matches as part of an investigation into unregulated betting platforms in Italy.
In March, the FA charged Tonali with breaching English football's gambling rules 50 times between August and October last year, leading to fears his spell out of the game could be extended.
However, on Thursday it was confirmed that the FA had suspended Tonali's punishment for the duration of the 2024-25 season, meaning he can return in August if he does not reoffend.
In a statement, Newcastle said: "Sandro Tonali has been given a suspended two-month ban from competitive football by an independent regulatory commission after self-declaring breaches of FA betting rules.
"He has also been fined £20,000 and warned by the FA as to his future conduct.
"Provided that he does not commit any further breach of the FA betting rules during the suspension period, Sandro will not serve any part of the two-month sanction.
"As acknowledged by the FA in the independent regulatory commission's written reasons, the level of assistance Sandro has provided by self-referring and fully cooperating with a subsequent investigation is extraordinary and unprecedented.
"Sandro is continuing to follow a therapeutic plan and educational programme with the club's full support and will continue to train with his team-mates."
Tonali's initial ban has limited him to just eight Premier League appearances since he joined Newcastle from Milan in a £55million deal, while he will also miss Italy's Euro 2024 campaign.
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