Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri insists it is more important for him to win matches than bringing through youth players at the club. Some Blues supporters have become frustrated by the lack of opportunities for players such as Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ethan Ampadu, while Andreas Christensen has been on the periphery of the squad. The Dane was the starting centre-back during Antonio Conte’s second season, however has made only one Premier League start for the Blues this season with Sarri at the helm. Meanwhile, Ampadu has featured in just one Europa League game to date, and Hudson-Odoi came on as a substitute in the league victory at Stamford Bridge last week. The 18-year-old was then substituted himself due to injury, however Chelsea fans in the away end at Vicarage Road were unaware of that and roundly booed the decision to bring him off. Chelsea have one of the best academy’s in Europe, while they currently have 39 players out on loan, many of whom have come through the system. But Sarri insists fans have to be patient with the chances that the youth players will have and that it is more important for him to get results on the pitch. “He was injured, so I don’t know what to say about the booing], but I can understand that a fan loves young players from the academy, I can understand very well, but in the long run I have to win matches, and the fans I think want me to win matches,” Sarri said. “Yes, I think so [important to bring youth players through] but it’s not easy. It’s not easy at this level to take the young players from the academy and he’s ready to play, not only here, everywhere in Europe. “Sometimes there is one, two young players in Barcelona, from the academy, sometimes one, two Real Madrid, zero in Juventus, zero in Paris Saint-Germain. It’s not easy, and I think that we are lucky because we have Ampadu, we have Christensen, we have Odoi, so we are lucky. “Take for players in the academy, we are really very lucky, or the academy is very good. “In Europe, there are few players, 18 [year old] players, with eight matches at this level, so Odoi I think in this season played six, seven official matches in Europe, so I think that he has to be lucky. He is not lucky. He is good. “I don’t know [if young players are too impatient]. Also the fans sometimes, also the club sometimes, and so I am in the middle. I have to win.” The danger of not playing the younger players, however, is that some have now decided to move on from their clubs in the hope of first team football. Jadon Sancho left Manchester City to join Borussia Dortmund and has been excelling in the Bundesliga, a league that Hudson-Odoi might well be joining. The 18-year-old has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich with the Blues reportedly rejecting two offers from the German club for the winger. However, while Sarri did not want to discuss whether or not Hudson-Odoi will be leaving Chelsea this month, he believes the youngster can become a great player one da
Sarri sends message to Chelsea fans over youth policy amid Hudson-Odoi news - YouTube |
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