Following yesterday's discussion with former youth team coach Dermot Drummy, who has stepped up to the reserves, we meet the man who replaces him to lead the club's talented pool of youngsters.

Adi Viveash is now in his fourth year with Chelsea, having coached in some part all the way up from Under 12 to reserve team level. Previously he had played professionally at hometown club Swindon Town, Walsall, Reading and Oxford United before taking a management role with non-league Cirencester Town.

During his time at Cobham, he has overseen the development of huge talents, and having assisted Drummy and Steve Holland at youth and reserve levels, is now looking forward to taking the reins on his own.

'I'm obviously very proud, it's a big challenge but I'm really looking forward to it,' he told the official Chelsea website. 'It happened pretty quickly and I've not had a lot of time to think about it, it's been a case of getting in and getting working.

'We've had a good first week of training last week, the players came back nice and bright, as I'd expect, with a lot of new scholars in the group and I'm excited by the challenge.

'Dermot is a hard act to follow. We get on very well as well, and since he moved to the first team building the banter has gone down a bit, it's very quiet over here now! His record here speaks for itself; he is as good a youth coach as there has been. His development of players, the way he gets his message across is very good and I've learned a lot in the two years and we will continue to have that link with him being in the reserves, which is now a good challenge for him and can take him to a different level again.

'There have been some very good youth coaches here down the years, with Brendan Rodgers and Paul Clement, who have progressed from that role.'

The group Viveash now leads contains 12 new faces experiencing full-time football for the first time, though all have youth team experience at Chelsea bar Nathan Ake, a Dutch youth international who arrives this week.

'I've coached the entire group except Nathan, but all the others and the second years know how I work and there are a lot of good characters,' explains the 41-year-old. 'The first years are quite lively and there is a nice feel around the Academy at the minute.

'On the first day of training they were out at nine o'clock for a 10 o'clock start, such is their enthusiasm!

'They are a good, lively group who have spent a lot of time together. Ten are local, Anjur Osmanovic has come in from Sweden but spent time here last season and has had his settling in period, and they are getting into their first pre-season, which is obviously different from being at school and only coming in twice a week.

'I worked with Nathaniel Chalobah as an Under 13 in a summer camp, doing some defensive work, and to see how far he has progressed now is great. Looking at the boys in the younger age groups as well there is a lot of talent coming through the Academy, with a lot of local boys. It's exciting times here.

'We have great facilities and I try to remind them of that every day because we weren't all so fortunate when we were younger, so it's good for them and I think they're ready to accept the challenge. They're a good group who want to improve and get better and they've got all the facilities here to do that and we'll give them every help we can.'

Target-setting in youth football is notoriously difficult, particularly at Chelsea where league results take a backseat to player development, and Viveash believes his success will be measured by the progression of players from Academy to first-team building.

'I'll be happy if the players develop both on and off the pitch,' explains the former defender. 'We try and make them better all-round young men, and obviously we want to try and get players in to the first team. That's the goal of any club.

'Josh McEachran has given everybody a big lift and is somebody to identify with, but there are also the likes of Billy Clifford, Nathaniel and lots of others who played in the first team in pre-season last year, and we hope that under the new manager there will be opportunities for them.

'If they develop and are learning and doing well, they will step up to the reserves, and that's the gauge.'