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News
- 36 minutes ago
Not Estevao: Maresca names Chelsea wonderkid who has left him speechless
Tom Weber
- Updated: 13 Sept 2025 12:46 BST
- 4 min read
News
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has revealed that he has been left hugely impressed by 16-year-old academy youngster Reggie Walsh.
The Blues have made it their mission to sign the world's best talents since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital takeover in 2022, spending lavish sums on young players.
This policy has come at more than a literal, financial cost. To fund incomings, Chelsea have used their elite academy to raise 'pure profit' by selling highly-rated homegrowns, which has caused some frustration among supporters.
Compared
Josh Acheampong
D (R)
Chelsea
Josh Acheampong
D (R)
Chelsea
VS
Tyrique George
F (CL)
Chelsea
Tyrique George
F (CL)
Chelsea
|
|
ETV |
|
| €13.6M - €16.7M | ETV Range | €15.6M - €19M |
| 19 years old (05 May, 2006) | Age | 19 years old (04 Feb, 2006) |
|
England
|
Nationality |
England
|
However, it seems that Enzo Maresca is more and more looking to the academy to make up the numbers in his squad following a summer in which Chelsea managed to offload a host of unwanted players.
Josh Acheampong played the full 90 minutes in Chelsea's season opener against Crystal Palace, while Tyrique George featured against Fulham ahead of the international break.
Maresca impressed with Walsh
Speaking to the media ahead of Chelsea's clash with Brentford on Saturday, Maresca revealed that the youngster who has impressed him the most is neither Acheampong nor George nor even Brazilian wonderkid Estevao.
Maresca named 16-year-old Reggie Walsh as a player who has quite literally left him speechless - because he doesn't require any instructions. "I like all the academy guys, but Reggie is the one I like more than the rest," he said.
"He is doing things that I’m demanding of the other players, but he is doing those things without me asking him. I don’t need to ask him to do something. What he's doing is already what I want from that player."
He also spoke about Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, who made headlines during the break for scoring four goals for England against Germany's U17s. "I watched even that game," Maresca revealed. "I was very impressed, but I already knew him.
"We always have one of my staff watching the second team. They told me this guy was very good, so I watched him. For sure, he is one of the players that we are looking at."
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