18 year old set to choose Chelsea’s Premier League rivals with clear pathway | OneFootball

While Chelsea’s first team squad creaks heavily, and is right now without a fit striker, a reliable goalkeeper or an elite central defender, the focus seems to still be on accumulating young talent.

As well as buying precocious South American teenagers, the Blues have their eyes on the best domestic talent too, and in recent days we’ve heard more and mor about young Ben Broggio at Aston Villa.

The 18 year old is considered one of the biggest talents to come through the Villa academy in years, and as his contract has come close to its conclusion its no surprise to see more and more teams pushing to try and sign him.

CaughtOffside report that Broggio has been training more frequently with Unai Emery’s first team as the Villains try to convince him to stay by showing him a solid pathway to the first team.

Chelsea have been heavily linked in recent weeks, but that dream already looks over. Those same reports are claiming that Broggio is “close to signing a new contract” in the Midlands, turning down Chelsea and other teams keen on signing him.

Villa present a challenge to Chelsea in more than just the table

Unai Emery managing Aston Villa.

Emery’s Villa are a rising force and look better set up for short term success than Chelsea do right now. While at Stamford Bridge the young striker would be loss in a mess of youngsters and would probably end up loaned out somewhere 6 months later, and Villa he has a very clear route to the first team now that Jhon Duran has left.

Right now, Aston Villa aren’t just threatening Chelsea in the Premier League table (after a fraction of the spend), they’re also increasingly going to be a team who can compete with us for players as we tighten our wage structure.