Tyrique George has a lot of talent, absolutely he does. I love his confidence and his direct style of play and thinking. He gets on the ball and he wants to get that ball in the goal. He has a great eye for goal and will shoot on sight. I love all of that and I have no doubt that he’s going to be a good and successful player.
But will he ever make it at the very top? I’m not so sure. I’ve never been entirely convinced on George. I’m not sure that he would ever be good enough to be a regular starter at Chelsea. That’s just me being honest, and I have said this all season so it’s not just off the back of the rumours that he could leave the club on a permanent deal.
They can’t all make it here, we just have to accept that.
George reportedly wants to leave so he can play more and develop. I totally understand that. He can go on loan, sure. But some players don’t like to be caught up in the loan system and need a club to feel at home at. I completely get that as well. Also, like I said, I can’t ever see him being a regular starter for Chelsea anyway so I can see why he sees what is ahead of him, sees Chelsea wanting to sign more new attackers, and decides that his best route to a successful career is to move on from the club. I think it’s a good idea on his part. Players want to play. I say fair play to him.
We have to be smart with our academy players because some of them do have it, others do not. We do have to try and create pathways. But this has become harder because we are signing all the top young talents from around the globe. So I do see issues with this way of operating. I do get a bit concerned about our academy in the future as we love to see players come through and no player will ever truly know what it’s like to play for the club coming through the academy, willing to die for the badge, and actually playing for the club you support than academy graduates. You cannot buy this and it’s an important element that really does concern me. I can’t hide from that.
But for George, I’m absolutely fine for Chelsea to sell him and I think it’s best for all parties.