(Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)

On the face of it, admittedly, a year-long transfer embargo isn't exactly the making of many a Chelsea supporter's dreams.

But look closer, and there may actually be much to be mirthful about in the coming months at Stamford Bridge.

Time For The Youth To Take the Reigns from The Old

With a year-long embargo, Chelsea will now have to rely on youth to fill the usual gaps that emerge in the typical Premiership and Champions League-chasing first team squad due to injuries, suspensions (etc.) in a season.

What immediately springs to mind this season in particular is the African Nations Cup, where a slew of Chelsea players—including most notably, Dider Drogba, Salmon Kalou Michael Essien and Jon Obi Mikel—will be unavailable for selection for a period.

It will be during the coming months we see the fruits of Chelsea's youth system come to bear. A youth system, which to all intents and purposes, has produced dissappointingly little considering the massive infrastructural and youth investments made during the Abramovich era.

In fact, in one of Jose Mourinho's parting shots to his former employers he bemoaned the lack of genuine youth talent produced by the club's youth sytem. Since then, the regimes of Grant, Scolari and Hiddink have provided precious little evidence to rebuff this claim.

Frank Arnesen, current head of Chelsea's youth system and chief scout, must take some of the blame.

When a move from Tottenham resulted in a £5-8m compensation agreement for Spurs(depending on which sources you consider) after the capture of the former PSV man; many, not suprisingly, expected a complete reconfiguration and improvement in Chelsea's youth system.

Unfortunately, Chelsea and by implication, Arnesen's aggressive youth transfer policies (documented infamously by BBC's Panorama investigation) led to a transfer ban to which, ironically, his own work in the past few years will now be called upon in helping the club bridge the recruiting gap.

With a large number of youth players out on loan currently, don't be surprised to see some recalled over the coming months. In fact don't be surprised to see some trading passes with Terry and Lampard in the first team in the coming months either.

Ancelotti, Safe and Sound Equals Stability

Should Abramovich's much longed-for hookup with Ancelotti—a coach he deeply admired for his work at Milan—go the same way as his affiliation with Andriy Shevchenko, there won't be too many world class coaches eager to take a job that will have by then seen five managerial departures in less than three years.

Most importantly, it will a job where no option to overhaul the aging squad in the transfer market will be available in the short term. (This is of course, ruling out complete chancers like Eriksson or Grant being appointed as a stop-gap measure.)

For Ancelotti the pressure has already resided somewhat with a strong start to his debut season. With a ban on transfers, further signings now won't come under scrutiny— because there'll be none—and Ancelotti can do what he does best: Work with old pros until they can no longer remember where they live, nevermind run!

This all points to stability, a much-needed thing needed at Stamford Bridge, now being inadvertantly provided by FIFA.

As long as Ancelotti doesn't completely make a balls of it, of course.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?