Chelsea boss, sporting director watch son of ex-Super Eagles star Emenalo and Subuloye make debuts for U18s

Before the 2024 Carabao Cup final, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino and co-sporting director Paul Winstanley were at Cobham Training Centre on Saturday to run the rule over the emerging talents in the Chelsea academy.

According to Chelsea insider, Chelsea Youth, Pochettino and Winstanley were among the interested watchers as Chelsea beat Aston Villa 2-0 in an U18 Premier League fixture, thanks to goals from Donnell McNeilly and Shaun Wade

Pochettino spent around twenty minutes watching the game and talking with the collective coaching and football management.

The Argentine football tactician and Chelsea's co-sporting director ran the rule over two teenagers of descent who made their competitive debuts for the Blues U18s. 

Schoolboys Landon Emenalo and Tayo Subuloye were handed their U18s debuts by Nigerian coach Hassan Sulaiman and played the entirety of the game. 

Landon  is the son of former Chelsea technical director and retired Nigeria international Michael Emenalo, who shone for the Super Eagles at the 1994 World Cup, stepping up admirably in place of the injured Benedict Iroha.

Other players of Nigerian descent on parade at Cobham included Tyrique George, Saheed Olagunju and Chinonso Chibueze. 

Pochettino had already kept tabs on Emenalo and Subuloye before watching them again on Saturday, having invited the two players to train with the first team in January and February respectively. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: chelseafc.com

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