Chelsea academy graduate signs new deal with club

Chelsea welcome fierce rivals Manchester United to Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening. 

The Blues’ season went from bad to worse on Saturday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to relegation-threatened Burnley, despite the Clarets having ten men for the majority of the game.

It was a familiar story for Mauricio Pochettino, as his side missed a number of glorious chances to put the result beyond doubt, before Burnley ultimately equalised.

The result leaves Chelsea 11th in the Premier League table and on the verge of failing to qualify for Europe for a second successive season.

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Pochettino will be desperate to see his side’s form improve in the closing weeks of the season, but Chelsea’s recent record against the Red Devils will not fill him with confidence.

Despite this, the Argentine has been handed a boost with one of his young players committing his future to the club.

Gilchrist has signed a new deal with Chelsea after breaking into the first team this season

On Tuesday afternoon, the London club announced that defender Alfie Gilchrist had signed a new contract.

The Englishman is one of several of the club’s academy graduates that has graduated into the first team in recent seasons.

Gilchrist, 20, has penned an extension to his contract that is set to run until the end of the 2025/26 campaign, with the option to extend by a further 12 months.

The defender made his debut for the Blues against Crystal Palace in December last year, and has now played 12 times for Pochettino’s side.

Gilchrist is able to play in the centre of defence or at right-back, and has also been deployed at left-back by Pochettino this season as the Blues dealt with injuries.