Walsh makes Chelsea history on night of records for youthful Blues

Reggie Walsh, the record-breaking midfielder, is regarded as unique by Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

The Italian took this youngster out of Chelsea’s academy and his GCSE year to make him the club’s third-youngster ever player after having a successful career in the position himself.

Walsh turned 17 on Monday and added Romeo Lavia to his Ajax debut in the 65th minute, making him the second youngest Englishman to play in the Champions League, behind only Jack Wilshere, who was formerly a midfielder for Arsenal.

Of course, this was a result of a dominant 5-1 win at home to a struggling Ajax side, but Walsh also broke the 11-year record held by Dominic Solanke, who is currently at Spurs, to become Chelsea’s youngest player in the top tier competition.

Maresca explained in a speech in September why he enjoys Walsh so much: “I like Reggie more than the others. I like all the academy guys.

Reggie is successful because he consistently performs tasks that I have assigned to the other players without asking me to. I don’t need to ask him to do anything. I already want that player’s actions from him.

Walsh, who had already broken numerous other records, was making his fourth appearance for Chelsea.

Walsh’s family didn’t anticipate him making his debut in Sweden until the end of last season, which was such a surprise given that he was called up to Chelsea’s first team.

They were fortunate to see him debut a week later, with the Blues taking a dominant 4-1 lead away from home to earn a 10-0 lead in the second leg.

Walsh, a skilled playmaker with a strong engine and great vision, only recently signed his first professional contract.

Jamie Redknapp, a former Spurs and Liverpool midfielder, is a friend of his and is an England Under-18s international.

Given that he only made two Under-21 appearances for the Under-18s when making his debut last year, it was surprising when Maresca removed him from the team.

Maresca previously stated that “he makes everything look so] easy,” adding that he was “perfect “for” his system,” and he demonstrated this against 10-man Ajax.

On Wednesday, Walsh completed 18 of his 19 passes in the final third of Ajax, with 16 of those coming in. Additionally, he twice seized possession thanks to two interceptions.

Walsh focuses both on Chelsea’s future plans and the recent past’s ghosts.

Since there hasn’t been a player over the age of 28 since the start of the season, Chelsea gave minutes to 10 players under the age of 21 or younger against Ajax.

On Wednesday, Chelsea also broken a number of other records, including:

Estevao, a Brazilian international, has joined the Blues this summer, and he is still impressive.

The forward was one of three Chelsea players last week who was chosen to receive the Golden Boy award, which recognizes the best young players from all over Europe, along with Jorrel Hato and Mamadou Sarr.

Maresca was praised for his performance after Hato described him as one of the best football players since Lamine Yamal.

He remarked, “I feel very fortunate to work for him.” Fans purchase tickets to see players like Cole (Palmer) and Estevao.

He is “very modest and polite,” and he wants to work hard. He has a wonderful family that is close to him. Although he is a special player, we shouldn’t be concerned that he believes he is aware of his level of talent. He is a straightforward individual.

For the club and its young players, it’s a special night.

The Blues were the youngest Premier League team and one of the youngest teams in Europe’s top five leagues last season, finishing second only to sister club Strasbourg, which was also under the same BlueCo American ownership.

After winning the Conference League and Club World Cup last year, Chelsea’s strategy, which occasionally receives criticism, is designed by them and is believed to have led to greater success over the long term.

Despite that, signing so many promising young players can send the wrong message to the club’s renowned academy, so a delicate balance must be struck.

Rio Ngumoha was traded to Liverpool in 2024, but Chelsea vowed it would never happen again.

Maresca has since made its debut last season, against less-than-proven Conference League competition, making eight academy players in the past eight years.

Additionally, 19-year-olds George and Josh Acheampong, both 19, have been given full-time first-team roles.