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Chelsea have an "absolutely ridiculous" talent at Cobham who looks like the next James - opinion

The last few weeks have been testing for Chelsea.

Since their impressive 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal, Enzo Maresca's side have dropped points in four of six games, two of which have been defeats.

However, while the overall team performances have left something to be desired, Reece James has been immense, be that at right-back or in the middle of the park.

In fact, there is a genuine shout for the captain being Chelsea's best player, so fans should be delighted that Cobham might have already produced the next James.

Cobham has long been a source of incredible talent for Chelsea, and with the current crop of academy gems on the cusp of regular first-team football, that doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon.

shim-mheuka-chelsea-astana-conference-league

For example, one of the most promising youngsters who simply has to get more senior minutes in the coming seasons is Shim Mheuka.

Described as "the future of Chelsea and English football" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the young striker has been scoring for fun over the last year or so.

This season alone, the 18-year-old has racked up an outrageous tally of 14 goals and three assists in 16 appearances, totalling 1276 minutes, which comes out to 1.06 goal involvements per game, or one every 75.05 minutes.

It's not just at the club level where the teenager has been tearing things up, though.

For example, in 20 appearances for England's U19 side, he has scored 14 goals and provided three assists.

Another young star in the making that fans should be keeping an eye on is Chizaram Ezenwata.

Another centre-forward, the 17-year-old has also been in incredible form this season, notching up nine goals and one assist in 12 appearances, totalling 965 minutes.

However, it's not just forwards that Chelsea fans should be excited about, as Cobham might have already produced Maresca's next James.

Chelsea's next Reece James

Now, it almost goes without saying at this point, but James is a genuinely world-class footballer.

Therefore, it would be unfair to expect a youngster from the academy to come in and start performing like him right away, or even within a few years of making it into the senior game.

However, there can still be exciting prospects who share a number of traits with the captain and possess the potential to become a player like him, which is the case with Harrison Murray-Campbell.

The 19-year-old gem joined the Blues at the under-8s level and, after making his way up through the academy system, was rewarded with his first team debut in the Conference League last year.

What makes him potentially the next James, though?

Harrison Murray-Campbell

Well, firstly, like the captain, the youngster is a positionally versatile defender who has spent time playing at both centre-back and full-back.

Moreover, he's demonstrated real leadership qualities, captaining the club's U18S and U21 sides.

As if that wasn't enough, the "absolutely ridiculous" talent, as dubbed by analyst Felix Johnston, has also worn the armband for England's U20 side.

Finally, on top of being a rock-solid defender, the Luton-born phenom has also shown real attacking quality, scoring four goals and providing two assists already this season.

Ultimately, there is still a long way to go in his career, but as things stand, Murray-Campbell looks like he could be Chelsea's next James.

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This Chelsea ace shone in their 2-2 draw away to Newcastle.

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