John Swift has urged Chelsea to show faith in their young players after leaving the club in search of first-team football.
The Blues have an outstanding academy setup and have won the FA Youth Cup five times in the last seven years as well as conquering Europe for the past two seasons.
Swift rejected a new Chelsea contract to sign for Jaap Stam’s Reading last week following a successful loan spell at fellow Championship side Brentford last season.
It was a difficult decision for a player who has been with Chelsea since U14s level after previously being let go by the club as a 12-year-old.
He scored nine times in Chelsea’s U21s Premier League triumph in 2013 after working closely with Blues legend Frank Lampard to improve his shooting ability.
Senior professionals like the now departed Lampard are an invaluable asset to youngsters like Swift who are trying to progress their game.
Watch: Frank Lampard tries to guess every Premier League team he's scored against
John Terry remains idolised by the club’s academy starlets but that is in part due to the fact that the skipper is the last player to really break through from the youth team.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has made inroads in more recent times but is still struggling to compete for a spot as Roman Abramovich bankrolls more signings.
Antonio Conte is the new man at the helm following last season’s sacking of Jose Mourinho, a man often criticised for not blooding youngster at Stamford Bridge.
Swift understands that the ruthless nature of the business makes it difficult for managers to risk fielding untested players as time is precious in football.
However, the Reading signing has encouraged new boss Conte to look beyond the regular pool of Blues players because their is genuine talent waiting in the wings.
“It’s obviously hard for any young players because it’s such a big team and there are so many big players there,” Swift told GetReading.
“And there is so much pressure on the club to be high in the league and do well in the Champions League.
“They have high expectations for every single game they go into. So it is difficult for the manager to put young players in.
“But I do think there are quite a few at Chelsea who could push up into the first-team and do really well, if they are allowed to show what they can do.
“All you want is to try and prove yourself but it’s really hard for a player to get into the first-team. Everyone knows that.
“You go back for pre-season, you train with the first-team and try and show what you can do. But there are obviously so many other players that you are in and amongst.”
Loftus-Cheek remains the young gun most likely to make a name for himself at the Bridge.
The midfielder made 17 appearances last season and often featured under interim Guus Hiddink during the closing couple of months of the campaign.
“Ruben has done well to push into the first-team. He’s worked hard and got his chance to play and he’s taken it,” said Reading’s new signing Swift.
“Hopefully he can push on and show the other young players behind him that there is an opportunity.”
