Nicolas Jackson drops verdict on Reggie Walsh after his Chelsea debut against Djurgarden
Chelsea secured a pretty comprehensive win against Djurgarden on Thursday night in Europe, which is a fixture that Blues youngster Reggie Walsh will never forget.
The Blues beat Swedish outfit Djurgarden 4-1 away from home in the first leg of the Conference League semi-final tie.
Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson (two) scored crucial goals to give the English giants a major advantage going into next Thursday’s second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Jason Cundy praised Noni Madueke after the Chelsea winger scored his 11th goal of the season across all competitions.
However, the most memorable moment of the night came when Reggie Walsh, 16, made his first-team debut with a late cameo appearance.
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Nicolas Jackson praised Chelsea prospect Reggie Walsh after senior debut
In the 88th minute, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca elected to throw on Walsh for the final stages.
The 16-year-old midfielder nearly scored with his first touch in senior football when he fired a shot from distance which stung the gloves of the goalkeeper.
In his post-match interview, Jackson was asked about the teenage Chelsea debutant. It was great to hear him speak so glowingly about Walsh and his potential moving forward.
Jackson told TNT Sports 4 (10:00pm, 1 May): “Yeah, he’s a very good player. Top quality. For sure he’s going to go far. He has a lot of quality. I’m very happy for him to make his debut. I hope for more to come for him.”
Back in March, Reggie Walsh trained with Chelsea’s senior team after being drafted into the main group from the academy. The English prospect has now gone and backed that up with a first-team debut this week.
He’s been a regular in the Blues Under-18s team during the 2024/25 campaign, but to make a first senior bow at his age is truly remarkable. He doesn’t turn 17 until October, too.
Enzo Maresca deserves huge credit
Maresca definitely deserves a special mention for awarding Walsh his debut, especially in a European semi-final.
While there’s been a lot of chaos around the club this season, the Italian head coach has tried to promote youngsters from the academy whenever possible.
- Josh Acheampong
- Tyrique George
- Reggie Walsh
- Sam Rak-Sakyi
- Genesis Antwi
The names above are some academy Chelsea players that have had the opportunity to play in the first team under Maresca. In particular, Acheampong and George have become permanent members of the senior squad this season.
It was claimed back in September that Chelsea’s youngsters worried about the path into the first team, but Maresca has proven it’s possible under him.
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