'Really supportive': Ola Aina shares which Chelsea legend massive helped when he was in the Blues academy
Nottingham Forest star Ola Aina has recalled which Chelsea legend massively helped the club’s young players when he was developing in the Blues academy.
Ola Aina, 28, is a talented right-back playing an important role for a Forest side pushing to qualify for the Champions League.
However, the Nigeria international actually came through the Chelsea academy as a youngster.
The success rate of the Blues youth system in the past decade is quite ridiculous. If you look across club football right now, the likes of Aina, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Andreas Christensen, Tammy Abraham, Michael Olise, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher all have links back to Chelsea.
It’s interesting that Chelsea are interested in re-signing Ola Aina this summer because he’s out of contract at the end of the season, but Forest are working on sorting a new deal for him at the City Ground.
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Ola Aina claims John Terry was brilliant with the Chelsea academy
During an interview on The Rest Is Football, Aina opened up on his time in the Blues academy. In particular, he shared that John Terry, the Chelsea legend, was a huge help to all the youngsters at the club.
When asked which Chelsea players he looked up to when he was in the Blues academy, Aina said: “Ashley Cole was there. JT (John Terry). JT was a big one for us because he was really good with the academy boys…
“All my memories that I’ve had with JT – they’ve been really good. He’s a really supportive guy. He just knows how to connect with the young ones.”
It’s perhaps no surprise that Terry, 44, still works at Chelsea in the modern day helping the academy. The reality is that there’s no better role model for any Blues youngster who dreams of breaking into the first team.
Terry is the standout figure in the timeline of Chelsea captains across the Premier League era, wearing the armband from 2004 until 2017.
We doubt we’ll ever see another leader in the same mould as the English centre-back again at Stamford Bridge.
Is Reece James a good Chelsea captain?
At the moment, Reece James is the club captain at Chelsea.
The 25-year-old right-back knows the club inside out after taking the path from the academy to the senior group, so he ticks a lot of boxes to be the poster boy of the club. There are some who feel he’s a bit quiet to lead the team on the pitch, though.
John Terry’s advice to Reece James is to be his own captain because leadership comes in lots of different forms.
Most importantly, James is on a decent run now of a few months of staying fit after horrible luck with injuries in the past. If he’s fit and firing, he can make a huge to the Chelsea team by the standards he sets on a matchday.
from Latest Chelsea News and Updates - The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/4JpO1r8
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