Chelsea had no intention of letting West Ham United and Southampton target Billy Gilmour leave Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window, as he told Football London.
While almost every member of Chelsea’s first-team squad have been given a chance to prove themselves in the first two games of the Tuchel era, the 19-year-old Scot has been conspicuous by his absence so far.
Gilmour was omitted from the matchday squad against both Wolves and Burnley, with a return to the starting XI away at Tottenham on Thursday night looking distinctly unlikely.
West Ham and Southampton both made attempts to sign the former Rangers kid on loan before Monday’s transfer deadline, according to the Mirror and the Mail.
But, according to Tuchel, both Gilmour and fellow starlet Tino Anjorin still have a role to play in West London.
With Chelsea still competing in a number of fronts at home and abroad, a hectic fixture schedule will force Frank Lampard’s successor to rotate his squad, and potentially hand chances to a pair of exciting young talents.
“We decided to keep Tino Anjorin and Billy Gilmour with the group, because I like a lot of what I see from the two guys,” said the former Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain boss, who had a transformative impact on the careers of Christian Pulisic, Ousmane Dembele, Presnel Kimpembe and co in his previous jobs.
“Billy is very, very close (to the first-team) in terms of quality, work ethic and personality. He is very, very close.
“So we decided very very quickly, it was not even a decision, it was simply clear that we go with this group going forward.”
Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic still appear to be well ahead of the diminutive teenager in Tuchel’s pecking order.
Then again, it would be wrong to suggest that Gilmour, despite his obvious, potentially ‘world-class’ talents, would stroll into the starting XI at West Ham and Southampton.
Declan Rice, Thomas Soucek, Oriol Romeu and Ibrahima Diallo have all been in superb form this season after all.
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