Former Walsall favourite Adi Viveash is confident he can bring through the next generation of stars after being snapped up by Chelsea’s academy.

The ex-Saddler started his new role as under-12 coach at the star-studded Cobham training ground last night after signing a deal with the Premier League giants last week, following his resignation from Cirencester Town.

While Roman Abramovich’s roubles have bankrolled the Stamford Bridge side to championship glory, leaving fans demanding big names and instant success, Viveash is charged with nurturing for the future.

Young players like Jimmy Smith, Ryan Bertrand and Michael Mancienne have all been loaned out to Championship clubs without ever looking like emulating the academy’s most famous graduate, John Terry.

But the 38-year-old believes, despite the imports at Chelsea, the youngsters at the academy can break the foreign stranglehold on the first team.

Viveash said: “If you have got a good one, and there are some diamonds in the Chelsea academy that will definitely push on into the first team, they will play.

“There are a couple around the youth team who are local home grown lads and are on the verge of big things. Certainly in the under-16s there are probably 10 local boys who have got an extremely good chance of progressing.”