How should Chelsea handle development of Under-20 World Cup stars?

However, after 12 months of constant bombardment from fans and media alike, the positive work - albeit rare at this stage - should also be recognised now that it has become apparent at the Under-20 World Cup.

Of course, no-one should get overly carried away by performances and impact made at a youth tournament, but the powers-that-be at Stamford Bridge will feel that they are gaining some justification for their methods - some of it perceived to be madness - during the past two transfer windows.

We have left out Kenedy Paez - a 16-year-old playmaker who scored for Ecuador at this tournament - because Chelsea have little say in his development until 2025, but it is clear that they have some important decisions to make regarding the next phases of the players who have starred during their time in Argentina.

Here, Sports Mole assesses how Mauricio Pochettino and those involved in transfers at Chelsea should look to progress the prospects who have enhanced their reputation over the past few weeks.

Cesare Casadei

Opinions have fluctuated regarding Cesare Casadei, some feeling that it was worth Chelsea paying a reported €20m to sign the youngster from Inter Milan without playing any senior football to others being left underwhelmed by his loan stint in the Championship with Reading.

However, 1,113 minutes of football in that division since the turn of the year appear to have kick-started the 20-year-old's career with the central midfielder currently on course to win player of the tournament while representing Italy Under-20s.

Casadei's statistics are barely believable. Six goals and two assists have been contributed in five games, and although it should be pointed out that penalties are among his efforts, his overall impact and influence for Gli Azzurrini has been astonishing.

With Casadei possessing a contract until 2028, Chelsea do not have to be in a rush to promote him to their first-team squad, but Casadei has at least shown that he warrants a loan spell to a top-flight club in a major league.

Firstly, though, Pochettino will surely want to see how Casadei fares in pre-season, particularly when they face a number of Premier League teams during their schedule.

Andrey Santos

Heading into the tournament, few people would have envisaged Casadei overshadowing Santos on this stage, the perception being that the Brazil Under-20s man is in line to be part of Chelsea's senior ranks for 2023-24.

Nevertheless, despite the recent success story of Casadei, it should not be ignored that Santos has also enjoyed a positive tournament, scoring two goals and providing one assist from his five appearances.

As captain of Brazil, it is clear how highly thought of Santos is at this level of football, but he now needs somewhere to settle to take his game to the next level.

Before the U20 World Cup, Santos was allowed to return to Vasco Da Gama, where he made five starts on their return to the top flight, yet it is known that he wants to move to London as soon as possible.

While the potential addition of Manuel Ugarte will not help Santos gain regular time under Pochettino, a period of adaption and occasional opportunities in the Premier League and cup competitions may prove to be more beneficial than going elsewhere.

Gabriel Slonina

The development of Gabriel Slonina has been a difficult one to judge for Chelsea, the teenage goalkeeper going from playing regular football in MLS with Chicago Fire to representing Chelsea's Under-21 side in Premier League 2.

Slonina may or may not have had mixed feelings about that step back, yet it appears to have done the 19-year-old no harm while featuring for United States Under-20s.

Ahead of Sunday's quarter-final with Uruguay, Slonina has kept four successive clean sheets in games versus Ecuador, Fiji, Slovakia and New Zealand.

Some will point to the level of opposition helping his run of shutouts, yet such a record on this stage is not one to be criticised as he bids to keep himself and his expectant nation on an upward trajectory.

Where does Slonina go in 2023-24? Championship football feels like the logical step. Compatriots Zack Steffen and Ethan Horvath have spent time in the division of late - albeit at a later stage in their career - but a period of regular games in a physically-demanding league should be ideal for a player who already has 43 MLS appearances under his belt.

Carney Chukwuemeka

To say that Carney Chukwuemeka has endured a frustrating first year at Chelsea would be an understatement, the youngster only receiving 234 minutes of Premier League football until being given opportunities against Manchester United and Newcastle United on the final week of the season.

Those appearances came at a cost with the 19-year-old being required to miss the U20 World Cup group stages before joining up with the England squad for the last 16.

Chukwuemeka was immediately drafted into the starting lineup for the showdown with Italy, who prevailed through a late Casadei goal, and he will now have the remainder of June to recover and prepare for next season unless he receives a late call-up to the Under-21s for the European Championship.

Whether the former Aston Villa man's short-term future will depend on many factors, including the extent of the player sales and if Pochettino views him as a straight replacement for Mason Mount.

Regardless of where he plies his trade in 2023-24, Chukwuemeka requires weekly game time, and finding a European club that has qualified for Europe may be Chelsea's and Chukwuemeka's most beneficial avenue at this stage.

Harvey Vale

After being given five opportunities under Thomas Tuchel, academy graduate Harvey Vale was in line to have a productive 2022-23, firstly on loan at Hull City which appeared ideal for his development.

However, he was given just 137 minutes of football across three appearances, subsequently leading to his return to Chelsea's Under-21 ranks for the second half of the season.

While not ideal, the versatile 19-year-old got 14 matches under his belt before captaining the Young Lions in Argentina, starting all four fixtures on the left flank or in the final third, to act as a reminder that he should have a solid professional career in front of him.

Realistically, that will not come at Chelsea unless he can prove himself at senior level elsewhere, and that will likely come in the Championship given the restrictions in place with regards to foreign loans.

In theory, it does not matter which of the 24 clubs that he finds himself at. He just needs to be viewed as a first-team regular, rather than a squad member, and that will more likely come at a club not necessarily considered to be a promotion candidate.

Bashir Humphreys

Graham Potter took everyone by surprise by handing Bashir Humphreys his Chelsea debut in their FA Cup third round tie at Manchester City in January, the Blues subsequently going on to lose 4-0 to the eventual winners.

That was not an ill-thought-out inclusion from Potter - Chelsea have high hopes for the defender - but the remainder of the season was spent in 2.Bundesliga with SC Paderborn.

Humphreys made 12 starts, largely in a back three, contributing to five wins, four draws and three defeats for the promotion contenders before he departed on international duty for the U20 World Cup.

The 20-year-old started each fixture at centre-back, keeping clean sheets versus Tunisia and Iraq, and Chelsea must now consider what to do with a player who has 12 months left on his contract.

Although the progress of Levi Colwill effectively ends Humphreys's hopes of being a part of Pochettino's squad for this season, a new contract and loan move could prove beneficial for everyone. While the Championship is a possibility, moving back out to the continent should not be ruled out, especially if lower-end Bundesliga clubs were left impressed by his showings in the second tier.