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Chelsea continue their pre-season against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal next week.
The Champions League winners are yet to make any new signings this summer. So they will likely head into the pre-season with academy players who will fancy their chances of moving into the first team with strong performances.
Chelsea have one of the lengthiest lists of players loaned out among all Premier League clubs. So pre-season provides their fringe players a chance to prove their mettle and stake a claim for a place in the first team.
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This is the first pre-season for Thomas Tuchel, who joined the club in January. On that note, here's a look at the five Chelsea players to watch out for in the pre-season.
#5 Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic has been with Chelsea for two seasons, but this will be the first time he'll join the Blues in pre-season. That's because the player was not called up by USA for the Gold Cup, so he has been training with Chelsea for the last few weeks.
The former Borussia Dortmund winger had a strong end to his 2020-21 campaign. Pulisic has continued that form in the pre-season as well, scoring in Chelsea's 6-1 thrashing of Peterborough.
The player has struggled with injuries in his two seasons at Chelsea, but is determined to stay fit. In this regard, Pulisic said in an interview with the club's website:
“This year is my first real full pre-season at Chelsea, and it’s just given me a good chance to get my full fitness and for me to get 100% fit and ready to play 90 minutes once the season begins. Hitting the ground running at the start of the season is the goal, of course.”
#4 Kenedy
Kenedy is one of many Chelsea players who have found themselves out of first team for the last few seasons.
He has been with the London club since 2015 but has been at four different clubs on loan spells. It was only in his lastest spell with Granada last season that he could put in impressive performances.
In 44 appearances across competitions, Kenedy found the back of the net eight times. He was utilised as a wing-back by the La Liga outfit, so he could be a good addition to Chelsea's first team.
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#3 Armando Broja
Of the many talented young players in the Chelsea academy, Armando Broja stands out. The 19-year-old striker was loaned out for the 2020-21 campaign to Eredivise side Vitesse, where he scored ten league goals.
He has also made one appearance for Chelsea's first team, a four-minute cameo in the Premier League against Everton in 2020. The teenager has already made six appearances for the Albania.
Broja equalised for the Blues in their first pre-season game against Bournemouth on Tuesday with a fine finish from inside the box. He will look to break into Tuchel's team by producing good performances against Arsenal and Tottenham.
#2 Ethan Ampadu
Ethan Ampadu made a good case for inclusion in the Chelsea team for the pre-season after a good campaign in EURO 2020 with Wales. But his campaign was cut short following a red card in Wales' final group-stage game against eventual winners Italy.
The defender is the first player born in the 2000s to make an appearance for Chelsea's first team. He had a memorable outing in the EFL Cup against Nottingham Forest.
Ampadu is a versatile player and can start as a defensive midfielder, but with N'Golo Kante and Jorginho in great form, he is likely to get opportunities in defence for now.
#1 Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi is one of Chelsea's most well-known academy players but is yet to break into the first team despite making his club debut in 2017.
Predominantly a winger, Hudson-Odoi has been used as a wing-back by Thomas Tuchel. The 20-year-old has struggled with the defensive part of the role, though. Unless he improves in that regard, he is unlikely to be a permanent fixture in Chelsea's first team.
In the friendly against Bournemouth, he was effective on the right flank, but his impact waned as the game progressed. Hudson-Odoi was linked with a move away from Chelsea last season, but a drop in form meant the move didn't happen.
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