Graham Potter outlines Chelsea plans for 'vital' Mount, James, Gallagher & Academy stars

Graham Potter has outlined his plans for Chelsea's 'vital' academy stars such as Mason Mount, Reece James and Conor Gallagher.

The Blues have become far more dependent on the youth at Stamford Bridge ever since the transfer ban that hit the club in 2019.

It allowed players who may not have been given the chance previously the opportunity to step into the first team and fight for their place.

While Chelsea are no longer suffering from a transfer ban, the youth is still being utilised alongside big money signings.

Currently there is a good blend of young talent and experience in the squad for new head coach Potter to make the most of.

So far the English manager has rotated his squad round a fair bit and against Wolves on Saturday a total of seven changes were made.

Armando Broja celebrating his first goal for Chelsea. (Alamy)

Before the game he touched upon why he made the decision to heavily change the squad.

It is important that when he does rotate the side that Chelsea are still playing to high level even though it may not be a team composed of his best eleven.

The west London outfit that took on the midlands side put in a superb performance despite some of them having little playing time this season.

With the priority coming in midweek in the Champions League against AC Milan, it is crucial that players such as Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were handed some important rest time.

Potter will know he can depend on the players he put out on Saturday when he needs them, and will be hopeful they continue to show the level of display they produced again.

The academy core of the Chelsea squad is clearly something the 47-year-old values, Mount, James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Trevoh Chalobah and Gallagher have all played important roles since his arrival.

Armando Broja also scored his first for the club against Wolves.

Reece James celebrating his goal against AC Milan. (Alamy)

When he was asked about this aspect of his squad in the post-match press conference, he was full of praise.

He responded: "They're vital. They bring an understanding of the club, of the culture of the club, its demands and what is required in terms of environment.

"They've come through fantastic education in the academy. They are good people and good footballers.

"Our job is to help them maximise their potential which is really exciting."