Of all the great things that West London club Chelsea have achieved over the years, one thing that seems to have always eluded them is youth development. Despite having what is considered one of the strongest academies in Europe at churning out exciting young talent, they were unable to create an avenue of integration with the first-team setup for the longest time.
But now, under the tutelage of Stamford Bridge hero Frank Lampard, there is a revolution ongoing at King’s Road. Names like Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham, all players who’ve been with the club since they were little boys, have been introduced to the Chelsea fans. Saying that they’ve managed to have an impact can only be an understatement, as what was to come later on seemed to shock everyone.
Scouting Chelsea’s Scottish Midfield Starlet Billy Gilmour
Enter 18-year-old Billy Gilmour.
How Has Billy Gilmour Made Such An Impact At Chelsea?
Born in Irvine, Scotland, the youngster spent most of his academy days with Rangers and was signed by Chelsea as recently as 2017. Despite being just 18, the Scot showed significant signs of promise right from the off, and Frank Lampard has been quick to identify that this season. Having tried the youngster out in a couple of cup fixtures earlier in the campaign, the gaffer realised that Gilmour is as talented as they come.
The injuries to Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and the suspension to Jorginho couldn’t have come at a better time from the youngster’s perspective, as he has now played in back-to-back fixtures for the club, and even made his full Premier League debut in the second tie. The youngster started in matches against Liverpool and Everton, and the Blues won both games without conceding a goal while scoring six of their own over the two fixtures.
What Does Billy Gilmour Add To This Chelsea Team?
The Scot is a central midfielder who likes to act as the pivot and sit just in front of the centre-halves. The youngster’s trump card is his ability to pick up the ball in dangerous defensive situations and find the easiest pass out to relieve the pressure. This makes him an easy pick out for the Blues’ defenders as they will never have to worry about Gilmour giving the ball away cheaply, irrespective of whether he’s man-marked.
Similar to Jorginho in his movement, the youngster is certainly a lot quicker than the Italian, and he knows his way around an opposition defender as well. In fact, the Scot can be considered to be the perfect fusion of Jorginho and Kovacic – two of the most talented midfield players that Stamford Bridge has seen in recent times. The impact he’s had in the first-team is no small matter, especially when the boots the Scot had to fill were of the aforementioned Chelsea stars.
What’s To Come For Billy Gilmour?
Although there was a report from The Guardian linking the youngster with a move to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City earlier in the week, it’s highly unlikely that Frank Lampard would allow his prized midfield possession to join one of their title rivals. The youngster has already proven in such a short time that he has the right physical and mental attributes to excel in the Premier League. Given the current circumstances at Chelsea, you can bet your bottom dollar that Frank Lampard will give the Scot first-team opportunities in the months to come.
