A motif that not only belongs to the Chelsea first team, but also runs deep through the fabric of the club is that of quality midfield depth. One of the youngest players in the development squad is making a real name for himself amongst the Chelsea hierarchy, that being 17-year-old Lewis Bate.
Much like the others that have been covered throughout this series, Lewis Bate has been a part of the Chelsea youth set up for almost a decade, having joined the club as an under-9 from local club Footscray Lions. Following this move, Bate has continued his development as a progressive, dynamic and tenaciously cultured midfielder. Used to playing in the centre of the midfield, Bate is able to breeze past opposition players effortlessly before distributing threatening forward passes that often see his side on the front foot of the majority of games that they play. Despite his relative lack of physicality, Bate is able to utilise the skills he has to make him one of the more dominant midfielders in the league.
Having broken through onto the scene in the 2017/18 season in an under-18 game against Arsenal aged only fifteen. However, he managed to cement his position in the under-18 squad the season following a Premier League Cup victory with the under-16 side as well as scoring against Reading for the under-18 side. For Bate, rising to challenge of playing with and against those that are a couple of years older than him has never been an issue, looking comfortable with the ball at his feet as well as his intelligent off the ball movement meaning he has never looked out of his depth in any side he has played for. Bate also has international experience with the England under-17 side, having made appearances in all three of the qualifying games. All this is evidently indicative of another exciting young player at Chelsea, but how do his numbers stack up throughout the 2019/20 season?
Prior to the global break in football, Bate had continued to impress across a range of different competitions and age groups. Having played the majority of his games for the under-18 side this season, alongside three performances in the PL2, Bate has 10 G/A’s in 24 games. For a player that plays a deeper central midfield role, these numbers are outstanding. Despite these contributions, his greatest quality is his dribbling and close control. Anyone who has watched Bate play will become acutely aware of the strength he possesses in this aspect of his game. Couple this with an unsuspecting burst of acceleration, and you have the foundations of a quality midfielder. The club clearly
Currently, with the overabundance of midfield talent currently within the first team, as well as players such as Ethan Ampadu looking set to return back from his loan, places in the first team are looking hard to come by. For now, Lewis Bate should continue his in-house development at Cobham whilst patiently waiting for any possible opportunities that come his way. Equally, Bate could follow in the footsteps of Reece James, Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount by going out on loan to get some regular first team action to demonstrate his desire to play at the top of the game. As always, Chelsea fans should be excited about another young English prospect work their way through the ranks. It’s only a matter of time before we see Lewis Bate playing top-level football that much is clear.
Written by: Jai McIntosh