The worst kept secret in football is out, Frank Lampard has finally been confirmed as the new Chelsea manager, but supporters should be as equally excited about the return of Jody Morris, who could be the key to unlocking the huge potential that the Blues boast beyond the first-team squad.
Super Frank is the man that the club have chosen to guide them through a two-window transfer ban and beyond, but with him, he brings former academy coach Morris and fitness guru Chris Jones back to the club.
The importance of Morris’ return is highlighted by the fact that the club look set to begin their transfer ban this summer, rather than push for an appeal and delay the inevitable.
The 40-year-old ex-midfielder is very highly rated at Stamford Bridge following his exploits at youth level but is also widely recognised as one of England’s bright young minds in the coaching scene.
Speaking back when they were first appointed at Derby, Lampard hailed Morris for his work ethic, in a clear statement that showed how highly he personally rates his former team-mate.
The team around you is hugely important. It’s not just about me as the manager – everyone will have a part to play on the staff and Jody is the first part of that.
He is great at developing young players and that is something we are really going to look to do here. Jody played the game at the highest level himself, has a tremendous work ethic and is great in the dressing room.
With the club’s hand forced, there will be an added emphasis on giving youth a chance like never before. Couple that with the return of a number of former players, namely Morris himself and Petr Cech. All of a sudden there is an identity developing once again at Stamford Bridge after a campaign where supporters couldn’t have been less connected with the club and those in the dugout.
So why exactly is Morris so important to this new-look Chelsea set-up? He was the mastermind behind the club’s dominance at youth level from 2014-2018. Players like Mason Mount, Reece James and Tammy Abraham have worked under his wing since they were just young boys.
The latter three being a trio who were out on loan last season and are now being heavily tipped to come back to Stamford Bridge and make an impact in the first-team squad in the very near future.
When Chelsea line up against Manchester United for the first game of the new season, they are not suddenly going to be littered with homegrown academy starlets in the starting XI.
While there may be a transfer ban hanging over the club’s head, there are still more than enough international senior players that mean there won’t be huge, drastic changes overnight.
However, as previously mentioned, the club’s hand is forced somewhat and that’s where the youngsters come in. In the past, Morris has on more than one occasion raised his concerns about how Chelsea struggle to bridge the gap between the academy and the first-team squad.
Chelsea managers of yesteryear have never really given much thought about the best way to bed in the club’s bright young stars to the first-team squad, because the reality is, they have their own players. They have their own priorities because quite simply, they’re not going to be sticking around long enough to truly see the benefits of developing these young stars; see Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri as the most recent examples.
Nobody knows how difficult it is to breakthrough at Chelsea more than Morris. He did it himself, making his competitive debut at the age of just 17, the youngest player to do so in the Premier League at the time.
As a player, Lampard also joined Chelsea at a young age and will no doubt be under instruction to find places in the first-team squad for the likes of Mount and James going forward.
Crossing that bridge from academy to the first team will be the toughest task that these Chelsea kids will have faced to date in their young careers, but who better to guide them through than those who have not only been there and got the t-shirt, but the very same coaches who helped them develop as young teenagers.
