Chelsea’s midfield has been an item of discussion this young season, and new boss Xabi Alonso is throwing a Reggie Watson’s teenage hat in the ring.
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Alonso is starting the 16-year-old Watson — not set for a birthday until early next year — alongside Valentin Barco for Wednesday’s League Cup match against Leeds United.
Watson has captain England at the U15 and U16 levels, scoring five goals with an assist in six games for the younger group and three goals in nine appearances with the U16s.
Who is Reggie Watson and how did Chelsea, England teen do in first start?
Watson’s looking to turn a brilliant August in Premier League 2 into a solid senior debut.
Watson, a defensive midfielder, scored in Chelsea’s U21 wins over Bournemouth and West Ham United last month.
Watson’s father is Ben Watson, the 41-year-old midfielder who came through the Millwall academy to make hundreds of senior appearances between Crystal Palace, Watford, and Wigan amongst others, last playing for Charlton in 2022.
Watson wore No. 31 in Wednesday’s game and while he did not star, he also did not look out of place. He was shown a yellow card and exited the game at halftime with Chelsea down 1-0, so he did not get an on-field piece of the Blues’ incredible comeback.
The teenager completed 27-of-29 passes, took one corner, and sent one pass into the final third. His five defensive contributions include three interceptions and two tackles, and he won 2-of-5 duels while being dribbled past twice.
