According to football.london, Chelsea will play a behind-closed-doors friendly against Portsmouth this weekend, giving manager Xabi Alonso an opportunity to assess 16-year-old talent Reggie Watson.

If you had told Reggie Watson 12 months ago that he would be in this position today, he might have thought you were joking.

Remarkably, 16-year-old Watson has become an unexpected prospect for Xabi Alonso's first-team squad. While the teenager primarily plays for Chelsea's U21 squad (Cobham Next Gen), he has already been included twice in Chelsea's senior team League Cup matchday squads.

Watson was an unused substitute in the second-round victory over Luton Town, but later made his senior debut by starting against Leeds United. He played the opening 45 minutes in Chelsea's 6-3 win over Leeds at Stamford Bridge, a testament to his rapid progress since Alonso took charge this summer.

Alonso demonstrated strong faith in Watson during pre-season preparations. The Blues toured Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with Watson playing a key role alongside senior players. He featured in the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's first pre-season match against Western Sydney Wanderers and impressed in two behind-closed-doors friendlies before the squad departed for Australia. Football.london was present at AAMI Park and noted Watson's willingness to engage physically despite his age.

Impressed by Watson's performances, Alonso gave him three additional appearances throughout the tour. Watson's displays belied his youth, and Alonso reportedly appreciated his competitive mentality—the reason he started the teenager against Leeds last month.

Watson has yet to feature in a Premier League matchday squad this season, though that may come soon. He traveled with the squad for the Brentford fixture before the international break but was omitted from the matchday squad, while fellow academy product Moisés Caicedo was unavailable and Jamal Murray came off the bench.

Watson has been performing impressively for the U21 squad and was one of three Chelsea youngsters nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award in September. Chizaram Ezenwata and Rio Blake were also nominated, with Blake having recently signed a two-year contract following a successful trial. Watson earned his nomination after scoring three goals that month, and his development continues to impress Chelsea's first-team coaching staff.

Alonso will likely observe Watson closely this weekend. According to football.london, the behind-closed-doors friendly against Portsmouth will allow players to maintain match fitness during the international break.

With the Cobham Next Gen team also having no fixtures this weekend, Watson has another chance to impress Alonso's coaching staff. While it may take time for the teenager to become a regular in Chelsea's senior squad given his age, his current trajectory suggests a bright future.

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