A few days on from our return to London from Abu Dhabi, we chat to teenage talent Lewis Hall to discuss his experience of the trip and the opportunity it provided to catch up with friends, as well as his preferred position on the pitch.
The 18-year-old has featured twice for the Blues under Graham Potter this term, in recent outings away at Manchester City and Newcastle United, where he has looked assured in possession and tenacious up and down the pitch.
A product of our youth development system, Hall’s quiet personality belies a determination to reach the top and his presence as one of the more experienced members of the group in the United Arab Emirates suggests he is making good progress.
‘It was really good,’ he tells us of the week away. ‘With us training every day at Cobham, it’s nice to have a week away in the hot weather and just get away from it all to experience something different.
‘It gets the group together more and everything has been amazing. The facilities and pitches were really good so we enjoyed it a lot.
‘I’ve obviously grown up playing with a lot of the guys in the Academy and we have a good connection as friends so it’s been good to spend a bit more time with them since I’ve not been working with them as much recently.’
Training in the Middle Eastern heat provided its challenges but the players were able to adapt quickly, aided by working outdoors in the late evening rather than the 30C daytime temperatures.
‘At first it was a little bit different but the more sessions we had, the more we got used to it, especially with the time of day we’re training,’ he explained.
‘It got dark midway through the session when the sun went in so that made it a lot easier.’
Hall is known to most Chelsea supporters as a left-sided defender but his rise through the ranks at Cobham has come mostly as an energetic and technical midfielder.
The centre of the pitch is where the Slough-born youngster is keen to dominate but he knows any minutes in the team are to be cherished at this stage of his burgeoning career.
‘I prefer playing as a number eight where I can go box to box but the last couple of years I’ve been playing on the left, whether it’s as wing-back or full-back,’ he added.
‘Wherever I’m asked to play, I’ve just got to do my best. Obviously I have my preferences but realistically it’s a big jump from academy to senior football so getting any minutes wherever I play on the pitch is just a blessing really.’