West Bromwich Albion loanee Frank Nouble lifts the lid on foreign favouritism at Chelsea

Feb 14 2010 by Andy Walker, Sunday Mercury

West Brom loanee Frank Nouble has revealed how he took a stance against English football’s foreign invasion by rejecting the chance of an easy life with title-chasing Chelsea.

The 18-year-old forward made his Baggies bow on Wednesday night after signing on an initial month’s loan from West Ham.

The Londoner’s stint at Hawthorns is the next stage of his education at football’s senior level, having already tasted first-team action with the Hammers this season.

However, Nouble could easily still be waiting for his chance on the big stage and going through the motions in the reserve ranks of one of the Premier League’s top four clubs.

Nouble started at Chelsea at the age of 11 and soon developed into one of the west London outfit’s hottest academy prospects. So much so that Chelsea offered him a professional deal last July.

Yet, having watched the careers of several rising English stars stall due to the special treatment that was handed out to young players who had been brought in from abroad, Nouble wasn’t prepared to take the same route.

West Ham won the race to snap him up and, to a certain degree, the decision to rebuff the club that nurtured him appears to have paid off for Nouble.

He already has eight Premier League appearances to his name as well as a taste of the FA and Carling Cups. Although, ironically, the arrival of three foreign strikers at Upton Park last month is what pushed him down the pecking order and triggered his temporary move to Albion.