During the hectic festive season, Frank Lampard again dipped into the club’s Under-23s to give a debut to local 19-year-old right-back Tariq Lamptey. After two decades with hardly a homegrown player to keep John Terry company, a dozen Chelsea academy products have made appearances in Lampard’s team this season. The emergence of Chelsea’s academy players has coincided with the club’s transfer ban. With that ban now lifted, Lampard could be tempted to close the window of opportunity for academy players. Lampard has given first-team debuts to a series of academy players, including former Rangers midfielder Billy Gilmour, England Under-19 midfielder Tino Anjorin and Dutch defender Ian Maatsen.

Source: The Guardian January 14, 2020 15:00 UTC