Chelsea's forgotten man can be the ideal replacement for two of the club's stars

Chelsea's pre-season is now in full swing with the Blues three days into their tour of the US. Los Angeles will be home for the remainder of the week before the squad then travel to Las Vegas.

There, they will face Club America in their first pre-season game before taking on Charlotte FC four days later. Before heading back to the UK, Chelsea will also take on Arsenal on Saturday July 23.

There were 29 Blues players who made the trip stateside, including a number of returning loanees who will be out to impress Thomas Tuchel in the coming weeks. And one of those will definitely be defender Ethan Ampadu.

The Welshman already boasts 36 international caps and has long been established as a key man for his country. However, his status at Chelsea is far less clear. He spent each of the last two seasons out on loan, despite signing a new three-year contract with the club only last summer.

On the surface, neither of his two more recent switches looked to be unsuccessful, with both sides ultimately going on to finish bottom of their domestic leagues before suffering relegation.

A scratch beyond the surface though highlights that despite the wider team struggles, Ampadu was able to exhibit himself as one of the better performers for both sides.

He featured in 25 Premier League games for Sheffield United in the 2020/21 campaign, mainly in defence, and finished with the best aerial duel success rate across the squad while ranking fourth for defensive duels won.

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He also topped the aerial duel rankings at Venezia last season too, however, the bulk of his 29 league appearances came in the heart of midfield instead of defence. It's a position he thrived in, captured in some way by the fact he made more progressive passes than any other player across the whole team.

Having already proven to be a shining light in the midst of faltering sides, there's a sense now is the time that Ampadu can finally make a real impact at Chelsea. He's got obvious ability, bags of potential and perhaps most crucially, plenty of versatility.

He can play anywhere across the back three, which is key particularly given Chelsea still look short of defensive options ahead of next season. His ability to play so competently in midfield could be a huge advantage too.

Jorginho and N'Golo Kante are both entering the final year of their current contracts, meaning the club will be on the lookout for a replacement.

This is set to be Ampadu's best chance to exhibit he's worthy of just that. Especially given Premier League sides are now able to make five substitutions from next season, meaning opportunities to impress and lay down some roots in the first-team could be more frequent than ever.

It's not a straightforward task to make the grade at Chelsea. Many youngsters have tried and indeed failed. But the emergence of the likes of Trevoh Chalobah does highlight there is a pathway to first-team football under Tuchel if you have the ability. It's now on Ampadu to show the very best of his.