Episode 5 of Premier League youngsters on the radar: Billy Gilmour
By Varun Aithal
Chelsea have an abundance of talented youngsters, one of them being Billy Gilmour. Can he make a name for himself after a breakthrough in 19/20?
Chelsea Football Club is not only known for the glory or the heights they have reached, but also for their youth academy products.
They stand second in the list of academy players featuring in the Premier League with 14 academy products featuring for the side (Manchester United have 18 players from their academy).
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A standout talent featuring for the Blues in 2020/21 is Billy Gilmour. Though the player broke into the first-team squad last season, injuries hampered his progress.
Thankfully for Lampard, the 19-year-old is back in the first-team and came up with an impressive display against Krasnodar in the UEFA Champions League.
Gilmour has what it takes to shine in the fast-paced league. The player has loads of composure which helped him to pocket Liverpool players in an intense FA Cup game last season.
Apart from his composure, the player is an excellent reader of the game and possesses the ability to pick out a killer pass. Also, the 17-year-old is dominant in a pivot role, shielding the backline from the opposition’s threat.
Former Manchester United midfielder and club legend Roy Keane praised the young Chelsea midfielder after the player bossed the midfield against Everton in the 2019/20 season.
The United legend said:
"Just his general play I thought it was like a world-class player. That’s what he looked like straight away.I thought it was one of their experienced lads and then I kept a close eye on him for the rest of the game and everything he done throughout the game just had quality written all over it. (Via: talksport.com)"
Last season the midfielder made his full English Premier League debut against Everton back in March. Playing the whole game, Gilmour played a crucial role in Chelsea’s 4-0 win over the Toffees.
Also against Liverpool in FA Cup fifth-round fixture, Gilmour stopped the likes of Sadio Mane, Divock Origi, and Mohammad Salah from scoring goals. In the whole 2019/20 season, the Scottish midfielder helped his side achieve six clean sheets.
Billy Gilmour stats this season: (Across all competitions)
Games played – 2
Minutes played –96
Goals scored -0
Passes to the final third-8
Pass Accuracy – 89%
Tackles -4
Interceptions -3
Shot Creating Actions-4
Clean sheets – 1
Wins -1
Loses -0
Draws -1
Billy Gilmour has proven himself to be a major asset to the team before injuries halted his progress. Chelsea sits third in the EPL standings and are competing for the Premier League title.
Also, the club has qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League. With Frank Lampard prioritizing youth over the deadwood, it is only a matter of time before the Scott breaks into the first team regularly.