John Terry says the FA should make a rule change after watching Chelsea’s U21s this week
Chelsea’s Under 21s played PSG on Wednesday night and John Terry was in attendance.
The former Chelsea captain enjoys keeping up with Cobham and all the young talent coming through.
Terry has been full of praise for Reggie Walsh as he has been breaking out, but is also keeping up with the lesser-known young stars who are fighting to do the same.
And that’s where his recommendation to the FA stems from — wanting to nurture the next generation of players and give them invaluable experience.
John Terry says FA should introduce U21 minimum in the Carabao Cup
The Carabao Cup is used by the bigger teams as an opportunity to rotate and cope with the intense fixture schedule that comes with being a top Premier League side.
Terry sees the value in this, but thinks it should also be a competition in which to promote talent coming through.
After Chelsea U21s lost 3-1 to PSG, Terry posted to TikTok about his new idea.
He says: “Now, I’ve had a thought for years now, with the Carabao Cup. The FA Cup is historic, but the Carabao Cup, why don’t we make it mandatory where you have to start three or five under 21 players.
“The reason I say three or five is because you have first-team players who don’t play regularly, squads are big now. First-team players need these games as well. Chelsea play Cardiff shortly in the quarter-finals, and we have boys who will need 90 minutes.
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“But how do we get the next generation through and get the exposure where a League One or Championship manager looking and going ‘he’s played in Chelsea’s first-team, he’s played on the big stage, he’s ready to come and play for me at League One or Championship level.”
Terry thinks the current setup doesn’t allow us to see which youngsters are ready for senior football.
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As he puts it: “We have scouts here tonight looking at our boys seeing if they are ready, it’s difficult to choose players in an environment where it’s a group full of kids all at the same age tonight.
“Just a debate I had, can the FA take some responsibility where they say we’re going to make it where three players have to play at the age of U21 in the academy?”
Chelsea would surely be the benefactors of such a rule
Terry’s point is absolutely a fair one. The Carabao Cup is already seen as a lesser competition, and requiring it to be used for youth development would certainly add a greater level of interest.
But in such a scenario, the Blues would be favourites for the trophy every year. Chelsea’s Carabao Cup quarter final against Cardiff, for example, would be a no-contest if both sides had to field five under-21s.
Cobham academy is the best in the country, consistently churning out Premier League-quality players.
A Burnley or even an Everton likely would not have the young talent to abide by this rule — at least not while remaining competitive.
As much as developing youth is absolutely paramount both for club football and for the prospects of the England team, this rule sounds like it might just widen the gap between the top clubs like Chelsea and the rest of the pack.
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