Chelsea boast one of the most envied academies in world football at the moment, with a number of their rising stars developing into genuine first-team options under Thomas Tuchel.
There are also plenty of Blues tyros out on loan at the moment who will be seeking to follow in the footsteps of players like Mason Mount, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Trevor Chalobah.
One of the most intriguing young players Chelsea have shipped out is 20-year-old forward Armando Broja.
The striker joined the Chelsea academy from Tottenham in 2009 and has impressed at youth level for the Stamford Bridge club, with some supporters noting a similarity between him and Diego Costa due to his physicality, aggression and eye for goal.
Last season he was sent out to Vitesse on loan, where he scored 10 times in 30 Eredivisie outings. This season, Southampton decided to bring him in on a temporary basis, following fellow Chelsea academy graduate Tino Livramento to the south coast; the defender joined Saints on a permanent basis.
How is Broja performing this season?
Broja had been unable to force himself into the Southampton starting XI, although there have been some encouraging signs on display from the youngster in 2021-22.
That was until Saturday.
The Chelsea youngster was given his first Premier League start and he did not let Saints boss Ralh Hasenhuttl down, scoring his first Premier League goal in a 1-0 win over Leeds United at St Mary's.
In his first start for Southampton, Broja was on target twice, as they ran riot in an 8-0 win over Newport County in the League Cup.
He also played the full 90 minutes in the next round of the competition, which Saints drew 2-2 with Sheffield United before progressing on penalties. Broja will not get a chance in the next round though, as Southampton have been drawn against Chelsea, meaning he will be ineligible.
That first top flight strike will give Broja the confidence to push on, however, particularly after the Saints boss had admitted he had not been impressed with his performance against Sheffield United.
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Hasenhuttl said: "This will give him confidence and he really has something, he is a threat around the box and he has the speed to get at a defender and take a shot.
"It was a really strong performance."
His goal was a record-breaker as well, with Broja becoming the first Albanian player to score in the Premier League.
