Chelsea Under-21s captain Olutayo Subuloye has travelled with the squad for tonight's Carabao Cup last-16 meeting with Liverpool at Anfield.
The 18-year-old defender is with Xabi Alonso's first-team squad for the high-profile match on Wednesday evening, and could be set for a spot on the bench as recognition for his progress at youth level and his reputation as one of the club's top academy talents.
Academy progress
Subuloye joined Chelsea from Brighton at U12 level and was converted from a midfielder into a versatile centre-back. He has won silverware in the youth ranks and signed his first professional contract at Stamford Bridge in 2024, which runs until the summer of 2030.
He was included in Alonso's squad for the pre-season tour of Australia and Asia over the summer, but has yet to make his competitive debut for Chelsea.
Youngsters and new signing in squad
Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli is also part of the group that travelled to Merseyside. The 16-year-old midfielder became Chelsea's youngest-ever Premier League player when he came off the bench during last month's 3-0 defeat by Brentford.
Summer signing Emmanuel Emegha could also make his debut against Liverpool. The Dutch striker joined from BlueCo sister club Strasbourg on a pre-agreed deal in July but has yet to make a competitive appearance for Chelsea.
Emegha available after injury
Emegha scored in back-to-back behind-closed-doors friendlies against Crawley and Bromley during pre-season, but sustained a hamstring injury against the latter and has not featured since. He was part of the squad for the Carabao Cup second round win over Luton in August but did not play, and his wait for a debut has since been extended by a setback in training.
Alonso confirmed that Emegha would be available to face Liverpool, and he has made the trip as he looks to prove himself an alternative to forward Joao Pedro, who will miss the next few weeks with a thigh injury sustained before Saturday's home loss to Tottenham.
