Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has urged Chelsea’s young stars to embrace the competition after the arrivals of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.
Frank Lampard wanted to bolster his attack for next season and did so by splashing out on two of Europe’s brightest young stars.
But Zola thinks the competition will only help the likes of Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount improve their own game.
“I don’t think John Terry would have been the player he was if he hadn’t had Marcel Desailly or Frank Leboeuf in front of him with us at Chelsea,” Zola told the Daily Mail.
“What makes you better is not playing every single game in a modest championship. What makes you better is playing 10 games in a very competitive league. Because of players like myself, Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and so many others, the game in England is at such a high level.
“If you want to be involved you have to be as good. And then, if you are good enough, you will become very good.
“There is a common mistake people make. They say, “We need to play the young English boys”. Of course, but only if they are good. How can you measure that? If they are playing with good players and if they can fit into the level of the good players. That’s why, because of the level of the Premier League, England has so many talented players.”
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