Ashley Cole says he hopes to see Chelsea continue to give youth a chance, even if they spend big this summer in the transfer market.
The Blues have been linked with the likes of Erling Haaland ahead of the summer transfer window meaning they could be in for a second year of big spending after bringing the likes of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz to the club in 2020.
Speaking to Hotels.com, Cole said he expects Chelsea to look to strengthen this summer but admitted he hoped that they would still be willing to promote from the academy.
He said: "I think now managers and owners always want to strengthen their squad in positions they maybe feel a bit weaker.
"But I think the Chelsea squad is strong, again hope to promote a few more younger players and young talent into that. But I think every squad and every team can be improved with certain players out there. "
Cole has been impressed at the impact young players have had at Chelsea this season and believes they have helped the club get into a position where they can challenge for European honours.
He said: "I think the young players are really stepping up.
"The Mason Mounts, Reece James, Hudson-Odoi are really stepping up and they're really contributing to the already experienced side and they've got the quality players to do it. So yeah, they can definitely challenge."
The former Blues left-back has been impressed by the impact Thomas Tuchel has had at Stamford Bridge, although he admits it remains to be seen exactly what has changed under the German.
He said: "It seems to be going well, you know, the results have been good, he is winning games the players seem to enjoy playing under him.
"So yeah, so far has been very impactful and very good."
He added: "Something has changed of course, because you know the results have been positive, they’ve been winning games, not conceding too many goals.
"So, at the moment he's got the key players back fit and playing well, so something has changed, but I'm not too sure what it is yet."
