Chelsea didn’t exactly quell any growing concerns with their League Cup game against Lincoln City on Tuesday night.
However, they got the all-important win, and while most starters flattered to deceive, there was one who did what he needed to do: Tyrique George.
The Cobham graduate scored the equaliser just after half-time and then provided the assist for the winner a few minutes later.
The young Englishman certainly deserves more chances in the first team off the back of that performance, but there is another academy gem coming through who could be an even bigger talent.
Chelsea's promising prospects
Chelsea have long been a powerhouse when it comes to producing exciting young talents, and George is just another example of that.
In The Pipeline
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Throughout his time with the various youth sides, the versatile attacker has amassed an impressive tally of 21 goals and 19 assists in 69 appearances.
On top of that, he has also scored four goals and provided six assists in 30 first-team games, including the one on Tuesday.
An even younger, yet nonetheless exciting prospect, currently plying his trade in Cobham, is Chizaram Ezenwata.
The 17-year-old has already scored four goals and provided one assist in just four appearances this season, and looks like one to watch.
However, there is another up-and-coming Cobham gem who might just be the most exciting of them all.
Chelsea's most exciting talent
So while there are plenty of potential future stars in Cobham, we reckon Shumaira Mheuka is the one who could be a real game-changer.
The 17-year-old prospect started his footballing journey with Brighton & Hove Albion’s academy, but made the move to West London in 2022.
Since then, he has been tearing apart opposition teams for fun and turning heads at both the club and international levels.
Appearances
55
Goals
28
Assists
6
Goal Involvements per Match
0.61
For example, in 55 appearances across U18s, U21s, and the UEFA Youth League squads, the Birmingham-born gem has scored 28 goals and provided six assists.
In other words, despite often playing with players far older than himself, the young prospect has managed to average a goal involvement every 1.61 over the last couple of years.
Moreover, he has really stepped it up this year, scoring seven goals in six youth games and making an appearance for the first team on Tuesday night.
His exploits aren’t limited to club football, either, as in 16 appearances for the England U19s, he has scored eight goals and provided three assists.
Numbers like this at such a young age go a long way in justifying talent scout Jacek Kulig’s claim that he is “the future of Chelsea and English football.”
Ultimately, there is still a long way to go before he’s starting and scoring for the first team, but in Mheuka, Chelsea look to have a potential world-beater on their hands.
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