In Focus: Five Chelsea starlets primed for a breakthrough at the Bridge

The return of club football is fast approaching and a host of Chelsea starlets will be looking to make their first-team breakthrough.

The Blues’ Cobham academy has a stellar track record of producing talented youngsters, with the likes of Reece James, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher now regulars at Stamford Bridge.

Ahead of the West Londoners' first game back against Bournemouth on December 27, we pick out five prospects who could be the next to rise from the production line.

Levi Colwill

While currently struggling to get a game on loan at Brighton, 19-year-old Levi Colwill has been tipped as a long-term candidate to lead Chelsea’s backline.

The teenage centre-back earned plenty of recognition during his first season in senior football in 2021-22, making 31 Championship appearances for Huddersfield as they went within one game of achieving an unlikely promotion through the play-offs.

And while minutes have been hard to come by in the top flight since making the switch to the Seagulls, the defender still has plenty of time to make his mark.

Having made his first Premier League start against Aston Villa in the final game before the World Cup, Colwill will hope to be more involved as he looks to bolster his first-team hopes at his parent club.

Harvey Vale

Attacking midfielder Harvey Vale has similarly been used sparingly on loan at Hull this term but that looks set to change following Liam Rosenior’s arrival as boss.

Having made just one league appearance for the Tigers in the first half of the campaign, the new manager has already spoken highly of Vale and fellow Chelsea loanee Xavier Simons.

The 38-year-old coach said: "They've both made an excellent impression on me. Harvey's got some outstanding abilities and is a really good athlete, Xavi's got everything in a midfield player that I like and he's going to be a great player in the long term.

"I've had a conversation with Chelsea about those two and Nathan [Baxter], as well, and we've decided that come the last week in December, first week in January we'll have another conversation on that."

Introduced as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland last weekend, the Blues will hope their 2021-22 academy Player of the Year will now be given the chance to showcase his talents in the second tier.

Omari Hutchinson

Excitement over Omari Hutchinson is gathering pace as the youngster edges closer to the first team.

Chelsea re-signed the teenage forward from Arsenal last July and the 19-year-old has managed an impressive five goals and four assists for Chelsea’s Under-23s this term.

It earned him a place on the bench for a handful of Premier League games prior the World Cup and he impressed manager Graham Potter during the Blues’ mid-season friendly against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.

He said: "[Hutchinson] was really good, dangerous and asked a question all the time.

"Throughout the game, he showed his quality but he wasn’t the only one.

"It was a spirited performance with a lot of young players so it was good."

Lewis Hall

Despite crashing out of the Carabao Cup to Manchester City in the third round last month, the performance of Lewis Hall in the 2-0 defeat offered an exciting glimpse into the future.

The versatile midfielder, 18, made only his second Chelsea start at the Etihad, putting in a confident showing at left wing-back as he consistently pushed his team on with his dangerous driving runs.

He even went painstakingly close to getting on the scoresheet against the Premier League champions, having been denied twice by stopper Stefan Ortega.

The display earned him his first top-flight start the following game, playing 73 minutes of a narrow 1-0 defeat at Newcastle.

With the eighth-placed Blues looking to improve on their poor form and returning World Cup stars likely to be used sparingly in the first few games back, Hall could be primed for further action versus the Cherries.

Carney Chukwuemeka

While not a product of Chelsea’s academy, there is plenty of expectation surrounding Carney Chukwuemeka following his summer move from Aston Villa.

Landing the teenager shortly after he inspired England to glory in the European U-19 Championship, the talented midfielder is one of the country’s brightest prospects.

He has since made three league appearances for the Blues, with outings against Wolves, Brentford and Manchester United coming since Potter’s arrival.

After his Bees cameo, the Blues boss said: "Well, if you look at these attributes, he’s a big powerful boy that can run and run away from people. [He] affected the game. 

"He’s a young player, but he’s got exciting attributes. We just need to help him reach his potential because his potential is exciting."