Cobham thriving

Chelsea fans claim that their academy, Cobham, is the best in the country, and based on the evidence they may have a very valid point.

A slew of youngsters have left their conveyer belt of talent, whether they have made their way into the first team, have departed the club, or are waiting in the wings for their chance.

In the side that Thomas Tuchel deployed against Aston Villa, for example, four academy graduates were named in the starting line up, in Mason Mount, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Calum Hudson-Odoi, while three more made their debuts in the Carabao Cup just a week ago.

However, it is one away from Chelsea that is perhaps impressing the most.

Livramento stars for Southampton

Many Chelsea fans were left downcast when Valentino Livramento chose to turn down the opportunity to stay at Chelsea, and moved to Southampton for a minimal fee.

It has been a move that has worked wonders too, with the youngster nailing down a spot in the first-team straight away as the Saints looked to freshen up their side.

And, in his latest outing during his side’s 3-2 win over West Ham, Livramento matched a record set 14 years ago.

This came as he was named in the starting line up for the 18th consecutive time, becoming the first teen to be named in starting lineup for the opening 18 matches of a season since Micah Richards burst onto the scene at Manchester City.

Of course, he is unlikely to stop there, and clearly the 19-year-old has a massive future ahead of him. Indeed, Chelsea think so highly of him that they inserted a buy-back clause into the sale. Will he impress enough to make them activate it?

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