Chelsea have a relentless stream of talent cascading from the prestigious Cobham academy, and one particular gem who could be the latest to wash up ashore among the seniors is dynamic full-back Somto Boniface.
The likes of Mason Mount and Reece James have been instrumental to the Blues' success over the past several years, gleaning the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, while West Ham United phenom Declan Rice plied his formative years on Chelsea's books before rising to the fore with the Irons, where he is now pushing for an exit and touted at £70m.
The club has been pulling no punches on the transfer front since the arrival of new owner Todd Boehly last year, spending roughly £600m, but remembering to entrust the youth ranks with opportunities to impress will go a long way to ensuring a multidimensional scope provides Chelsea with firepower and options from an abundance of fronts.
Manager Graham Potter must now consider unleashing starlet Somto Boniface, who has been catching the eye at youth level.
Who is Somto Boniface?
Since breaking into contention for Chelsea's academy, Boniface has made 15 displays for the U18 outfit, registering one assist.
The 17-year-old prospect is described as "versatile" on the club's official website, which could suit his qualities nicely to Potter's system, with the manager fluctuating his set-up from back-threes to traditional back-fours, with the dynamism of full-backs imperative to adapting to situations and deployments.
If Potter invests time and patience into nurturing the teenage talent, hailed as "impressive" by his talent agency, to prominence, he could even emulate the success of current starring left-back Ben Chilwell, excellent in his offensive capabilities marauding down the flank.
Signing for the west London outfit for £50m from Leicester City in 2020, Chilwell has made 77 appearances, scoring nine goals and registering 12 assists, heralded as "superlative" by podcasters in the past.
Ranking among the top 9% of full-backs in Europe for goals, the top 12% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for progressive passes recieved, as per FBref, the £190k-per-week phenom could be the perfect mentor to Boniface, guiding him on his path to prominence and providing invaluable insight into how to succeed as a transitional left-back.
There are lengthy strides still to be made until Boniface earns a chance to feature for Potter's crop with regularity, but if he continues to play as he has been at youth level, transferring his skills to the senior side, he could just emerge as Chelsea's latest prodigy.
