Chelsea are having a season beyond everyone’s expectations, having finished tenth last time out there wouldn’t be many at Stamford Bridge who could have seen what has happened under Antonio Conte this term coming.

Whilst the first team are ripping up the Premier League and leaving the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho red-faced, there may be one underlying disappointment for some Blues fans.

The west Londoners have long been praised for the quality of their academy sides, with the brightest talents in the England youth setup largely on the books of Chelsea, however, the first team has seen little benefit of the hard-work done by the academy coaches, with many constantly shipped out on loan across the Premier League and Europe.

Whilst the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah have been given a glimpse of first team action this season, there will still be a lot of frustration surrounding youngsters such as Bertrand Traore, Lewis Baker and Nathan Ake, the latter of which has been given just two outings since being recalled from a successful loan spell with Bournemouth in January.

However, such frustrations could soon be a thing of the past for those fans at the Bridge desperate to see the next John Terry come through the ranks and make their mark on Conte’s side.

With the return of the Champions League to west London next season – barring the worst run-in imaginable over the coming weeks – Conte will have to utilise the entirety of his squad over the course of the campaign, meaning there should be plenty of room to give those younger players a shot at the top table.

At times this season when the former Juventus manager has opted to field a ‘weakened’ side, the eleven selected to start have still looked a more that capable side to compete at any level, such is the talent of the Blues development side.

Whilst the biggest games will still, of course, be reserved for the biggest names, there should be ample chance for an Ake, Loftus-Cheek or Baker to get a run in the side when the fixture list seems endless.

When Conte took the role last summer, the pre-season tour saw the youngsters take precedence in the starting lineups, which shows that the Italian has more than just those big name players in his mind, however, there was little comparison between those pre-season sides and the competitive starting elevens.

Many Blues fans will be hoping to see more of their up and coming stars in the making over the build up to next season and, unlike this time around, seeing that transition into the opening games of the new term.

There are plenty of former Chelsea youngsters enjoying success across the Premier League but there is, next season, the opportunity for Conte to bring that success back to Stamford Bridge.