Chelsea have included another one of their academy prospects in the senior squad for the first time, and he’s related to a former Premier League player.
Enzo Maresca’s team has won all four of their Conference League group stage matches so far, scoring a total of 18 goals.
The Italian manager has opted to leave out Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana, and Romeo Lavia to manage their workloads, often selecting players who haven’t had much Premier League action.
This has created opportunities for younger players to make the bench, with Maresca naming 11 academy players in his squad for the upcoming game against Kazakhstan’s Astana.
As reported by the Daily Mail, while the final travel squad for Kazakhstan hasn’t been confirmed, the 11 players have been officially registered in Chelsea’s UEFA squad for the competition.
European squads are limited to 25 senior players, but there’s no limit for List B players, which includes players born on or after January 2003 who have been with the club continuously for at least two years since turning 15.
One key inclusion is 20-year-old right-back Richard Olise, who signed a new contract with Chelsea in May. He made 10 appearances for the U21 team last season and also participated in the UEFA Youth League. Olise, who can also play as a center-back, is a London native and has represented England at U18 level.
He is the younger brother of Michael Olise, a former Crystal Palace player now at Bayern Munich. Michael, also born in London, represents France due to his French-Algerian roots and his time growing up in France.
He has had a strong start at Bayern, scoring five goals and providing five assists in 13 Bundesliga matches. Michael is likely to be watching closely on Thursday if his younger brother makes the squad for the Astana match.
