Chelsea fans don’t need to be invited to the theory that they are hard done by at times, however they have genuine reason to believe they have been given worse treatment by the English FA.
The Under 17 World Cup will see Chelsea in attendance to scout some of the world’s top young stars in line with their current transfer plan.
The Blues will be watching Loukman Tapsoba for Burkina Faso, however will also have attention on their own players who are making the trip to Qatar.
Reggie Walsh and Landon Emenalo have been selected by England, who on paper can name a very strong side filled with Premier League talents.
Chelsea midfielder Reggie Walsh playing against Ajax in the Champions League.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Chelsea should be angry at FA after Reggie Walsh England call-up
The likes of Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha were eligible to compete, however have not been named in the side, likely because of their importance to Arsenal and Liverpool respectively.
Walsh’s call up to the Young Lions, who get their competition underway with a fixture against Venezuela on Monday, means he is currently unavailable for Enzo Maresca’s side, and should leave Chelsea questioning whether the FA’s decision is unfair on the Blues.
The 17-year-old has made four appearances for the Chelsea first team, and looks to be the youngster who is furthest ahead when it comes to development at Cobham.
Dowman meanwhile has only made four appearances all season for the Gunners, and has not featured in the Premier League since playing a single minute in the third game of the season.
However, for a run of fixtures that includes plenty of midweek games, the manager would have loved to have as many options to rotate as possible, although will not have Walsh available.
Max Dowman and Olivier Boscagli battle for the ball during Arsenal v Brighton & Hove Albion - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
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John Terry very impressed by Reggie Walsh
Walsh has clearly made an impression on Maresca since the Italian joined the club, and he seems to have done the same with club legend John Terry.
After spending time working with the academy, the former captain will have a good idea of the quality that is waiting to break into the first team setup.
Terry hauled praise on Walsh for a recent U21s performance against Arsenal, and has been an advocate for him to get more minutes for the first team.
For now though, the youngster’s focus will be on delivering glory for his country in Qatar, where he looks set to be one of England’s key players.