Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has urged Chelsea to follow Manchester United’s footstep during the Sir Alex Ferguson era, to balance the youth system with experience as well.
Ferguson was famous for bringing up youth players into the Manchester United first team, but he also found a way to keep a core of the team’s experience players, thus creating a balance. Meanwhile, three senior team players Pedro, Willian and Olivier Giroud have their contracts set to end during the summer, and Joe Cole believes it will be the right decision to keep them, especially Willian.
Cole said: “Rightly so, we’ve credited the young players at Chelsea because they’ve come through, burst onto the scene and been amazing.
“But Giroud, Willian and Pedro are three top class players who have been really massive for the club, particularly Willian, who’s a club legend, the players and the fans love him.
“I hope they can hang onto that experience – if they want to be part of this new, exciting team that they’re building.
“They can use that experience in the same way that Manchester United hung onto Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary and Phil Neville.
“If they can accept that role where they’re coming in – that they might not play as much as they used to but they’re helping blood an era which could be as good as any era in the club’s history – then there’s a role to play for all of them.
“I think they’re all world class players and it would be tough for any club to replace those three.”