The EA Sports-made video game franchise FIFA has evolved significantly over the past decade or so. As many know, this year they decided to introduce a new game mode called ‘The Journey” in which a boy named Alex Hunter has to undergo a trial, and if he succeeds, he can receive an offer from any Premier League club he may want to join.
For me, this raised the question is, “Who is Chelsea’s ‘Alex Hunter’?”
In the game mode the 17-year-old Alex can play any position and he even goes on loan, keeping it realistic. In this article, I took all this into account and so any current player owned by Chelsea is an option.
Many Chelsea fans will jump to a few players after reading the opening part of this article, but please be patient and bear with the process.
I looked at many candidates and took into account a large array of traits and variables.
I came down to two players. The first player is quite an obvious choice, Tammy Abraham. Just like how Alex Hunter joins a Championship side for the early parts of his campaign, Tammy Abraham has done the same by joining Bristol City. Chelsea have lots of respect for his ability and attitude and they decided he needs to be playing games to continue his development.
The 19-year-old played in two games for the Chelsea senior team last season towards the end of the campaign. This year he has set the Championship on fire by scoring 9 goals in his first 16 league games, even winning the Championship Player of the Month this past September.
With the Chelsea Youth team, he was no stranger to goals either. In the 2014/15 season he bagged 32 goals in 26 appearances with the under-18’s on their way to collecting the FA Youth Cup. The next season he debuted in the under-21 side, where he netted 8 times in 9 matches en route to a second straight UEFA Youth League. Also managing to score 6 goals in 6 appearances for the under-19’s, who managed another FA Youth Cup.
Abraham has also made his debut for the under-18, 19, and 21 England sides and some feel the senior team is not far away. Scoring several times for the youth side, he and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford have solidified a strike force to be reckoned with at the international youth level.
The only question for Tammy is when he will make his real Chelsea breakthrough. Constantly attracting top talents from around the globe, it is not easy making your Chelsea breakthrough but Chelsea fans maintain hope Tammy Abraham could be the subject of a “One of Our Own” type chants.
The other player that could be Chelsea’s ‘Alex Hunter’ is young midfielder, Nathaniel Chalobah. Many people will be calling for his teammate Ruben Loftus-Cheek but I went with Nathaniel Chalobah and here is why.
Chalobah has already made his first Chelsea appearances both as a substitute and a starter. Loftus-Cheek has done likewise. The difference between the two for me is their work rates. Both on match day and in training Ruben has been criticized for his work rate. Jose Mourinho has said this and if Chalobah’s extra substitute appearances in the Premier League are any indication Antonio Conte might feel a similar way.
When given minutes, Nathaniel Chalobah has looked calm, energetic, and promising for such a young talent. He has yet to make a real mistake for the senior team and has surprisingly gained experience abroad with Napoli which is important for such a talented, young player. For me, he has an even greater chance at succeeding than Tammy Abraham which should be a huge compliment to the Chelsea midfielder.
I, for one, hope he is not loaned out again and can continue to develop by training with guys like N’golo Kante and Nemanja Matic in training to better himself as a player. For me, he is the one I hope very badly, we can proudly chant about being one of our own.
