It is very clear that Chelsea could do with a bit more quality right now. Most fans are hoping that new signings are made in the summer. Ones that are actually capable of helping this team immediately and not ‘project’ additions. But could the answers lie far closer to home?
Recently, a lot has been made of Chelsea’s decision to let Lewis Hall go to Newcastle United. There, he has become one of the best in the Premier League in his position. And it is safe to say that he has proven to be better than the majority of the signings BlueCo have made. One can only wonder how things would have played out if he had stayed at Stamford Bridge.
Cobham still has a lot of talent. And Ryan Kavuma-McQueen has been tipped to make his debut for Chelsea in the near future by Nizaar Kinsella.
Talking about the winger, Kinsella wrote on BBC Sport:
It feels inevitable that Ryan Kavuma-McQueen will soon debut for Chelsea.
Who is Ryan Kavuma-McQueen?
Kavuma-McQueen is one of the brightest prospects in the Chelsea youth system right now. He grabbed the headlines when he scored four times against the Germany U-17 side. That was not just a rare brilliant performance though.
Across 29 appearances for club and country, he has scored 19 goals and provided a further five assists. Brilliant numbers for a winger.
And it looks like Chelsea had to work hard to keep him at the club, as he could have turned out to be another academy exit they ended up regretting in the future. Kinsella wrote in the same report:
Multiple sources have suggested Chelsea worked hard to keep him, effectively preventing another major academy loss like Rio Ngumoha’s move to Liverpool in 2024, and secured his first professional deal in January.
Can Kavuma-McQueen make his mark at Chelsea?
In recent years, it has proven to be especially tough for Cobham youngsters to get consistent playing time at the senior level. That is because the club have gone out and signed a number of wonderkids from around the globe. And oftentimes, their development has taken priority over those already at the club’s academy setup.
This is something that they need to avoid with Kavuma-McQueen. He might be just as good, if not better, than most of the wonderkids that Chelsea have signed. In order to prove it, he will have to go at it with arguably the very best of them.
Kavuma-McQueen plays most of his football on the right flank. As a result, he will have to compete with Estevao for playing time. Of course, Chelsea have Pedro Neto as well. But fortunately, he is also capable of playing on the left and through the middle, if the situation calls for it. So, one would hope that helps him get the minutes he needs once he breaks into the senior setup.
