Chelsea travelled to Australia with a 28-man squad, with plenty of recognised names and some of the club’s promising youngsters. Among the squad that travelled was England U17 international Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli. The Blues manager, Xabi Alonso, spoke to the press before their pre-season fixture against Western Sydney Wanderers and delivered high praise for Jazuli.
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Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli Set for Bright Future at Chelsea
Chelsea have lost promising youngsters to European and domestic rivals in recent years, such as Jamal Musiala and Rio Ngumoha. The Blues were recently boosted by the news that Nicoll-Jazuli is expected to sign a professional contractwhen he turns 17, in January 2027. His involvement with the first team has appeared to have contributed to him turning down interest from leading European clubs.
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His importance in the Chelsea youth sides cannot be understated. He was a vital cog in the title-winning under-18 side in the 2025-26 season. The talented teenager has also broken into the under-21s. His improvements and how highly thought of he is were reflected in Alonso selecting him for the pre-season tour to Australia.
Xabi Alonso Praises Nicoll-Jazuli
Ahead of the July 28 friendly, Alonso was expectedly asked about Nicoll-Jazuli, given he’s a Sydney-born player. Despite not having long with the squad, it’s clear the Chelsea boss is impressed with the teenager:
“Well, we are expecting having a productive and good time here in Sydney, I’m sure. You don’t have the chance to come every weekend here to Sydney, so you need to pick the right time. So far it’s been good.
“But we have our first game on Tuesday and then on Saturday. And Mahdi, I was informed yesterday that he was born in Sydney; it was a surprise. He’s one of those talented players that come from the academy.
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“Really impressed with him, with other ones, but Mahdi is a talent that we need to help, we need to develop because he has special qualities that you don’t see that often from a 16-year-old guy.
“I don’t know if he has an Australian passport, but it will be tough to choose. He has great dynamism, he has quality, a very complete player. He can pass short, dribble in the middle. Made a good impression.”
At 16 years old, there is plenty more developing to come from Nicoll-Jazuli. Can he fulfil this obvious potential? The Chelsea academy is prolific in producing players that go on to have decent/excellent careers away from Stamford Bridge, but can he become one of the rare players who becomes a mainstay in the Chelsea first team?
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Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
