Xabi Alonso explains why Chelsea need ‘special’ talent Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli
Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli is not just a novelty used by Xabi Alonso to gain favour with Chelsea supporters. Alonso believes the midfielder is a key part of this Chelsea squad.
The Sydney-born 16-year-old is enjoying a breakthrough spell in the first team at Chelsea, ever since the club appointed Xabi Alonso as manager. Last time out, Nicoll-Jazuli made his senior Chelsea debut.
Becoming one of Chelsea’s youngest five players to make his senior debut, Nicoll-Jazuli is a serious talent. But when all of Chelsea’s midfielders are fit, does he have a serious chance? Alonso thinks he does.
Xabi Alonso explains why Chelsea need Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli
Still 16, Nicoll-Jazuli likely made his debut simply because Reece James and Moises Caicedo were absent at Brentford. Without doubt, he and Reggie Watson sit behind five senior midfielders under Alonso.
That, and Chelsea are trying to sign another midfielder. But Alonso has told Stan Sports that Chelsea need Nicoll-Jazuli for two reasons. The first is his energy; the second is the academy product’s “confidence”.
Which former Chelsea player would you add to the current team, and why? 🤔
You can choose anyone!
“He’s young, but he has great energy. He’s been training with us since the preseason, and we see that he’s taking a step forward. There were needs at that game because we were missing a few players.
“Once the door is open, they get the chance, and you see that they are special players. Mahdi, we need to help him because he’s so young. He’s just 16, but I think that we have a great player here for the future.”
“Definitely, he has confidence. He has energy, but he has confidence. Now we’ll have more players back, and hopefully we need to have regularity in the squad, in availability, and that will help our consistency.”
Where does Nicoll-Jazuli rank against Chelsea’s midfielders?
Xabi Alonso’s preferred midfield duo is Reece James and Moises Caicedo. But James has struggled in the middle of the park since the start of the season, while Caicedo has been injured for the whole campaign.
Valentin Barco is still up and coming despite Alonso’s praise, and Jordan Henderson was only ever set to provide cover. His addition was more to provide leadership behind the scenes and fill the gaps.
Romeo Lavia has been on fire for Belgium during the break, and come Saturday, Alonso would be making a mistake if Lavia didn’t start. Nicoll-Jazuli is behind him, but it won’t take much for him to come in.
Henderson, Lavia and James are no strangers to injury, while Chelsea remain well-positioned in the Carabao Cup – something which could give Nicoll-Jazuli game time. But at 16, he needs to be patient.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
