adminCHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho has hit out at the parents and agents of young players for stunting their development.
Having already clinched this year’s Premier League title, Mourinho is set to start a number of teenagers, including the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Isaiah Brown, when the Blues take on West Bromwich Albion on Monday night, as he looks to blood the club’s talented youth into first-team football.
Yet the Portuguese coach has revealed a number of issues which he feels are stunting the progression of these young talents.
“Without naming names, I could write a book,” he said.
“In modern football, it is because of the agents and the parents – when the players are almost there, and in the process of being almost there, they think they are already there.
“They make the players think they have arrived when they haven’t. They think about money before the career starts, and everything gets very, very confused. That doesn’t help the players. They need stability.”
Mourinho envisages a bright future for Loftus-Cheek, yet insists only a stable environment will help a young player such as Ruben to go far.
“It’s not the case, but imagine Ruben’s family or agent pushing the kid to go – ‘The kid has to go on loan.’ Imagine that picture. That’s not what he needs. In this moment, he needs stability,” he said.
“He played against Liverpool. He’s going to play against West Bromwich. Next season, he starts with us and is stable because he’s part of the squad. He’s not trying to win a position in it. He’s part of it. He’s not going on loan and he knows that.
“They need that kind of stability, unless they play in very small clubs when, at 17 or 18, they go direct in the first-team. But to be in a big team and reach the level to be playing regularly for the first-team, you need time and stability. We try to give that to our boys.” – Kickoff.
Online Reporter