Guus Hiddink Right to Snub Alexandre Pato in the Name of Chelsea's Youth

Guus Hiddink has been back as Chelsea boss for a little under a month now, and it's becoming clear that he likes what he sees from Chelsea's younger players.

He was asked on Friday about the transfer rumours surrounding Alexandre Pato and a potential move to Stamford Bridge this January.

The Telegraph's Matt Law reported on January 14 that Chelsea were in negotiations over a £10 million move for the Brazilian, which, on the face of it, made sense.

Chelsea are thin on strikers, with Diego Costa being their only fit frontman in recent weeks. When he was suspended over Christmas, Chelsea had to travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United without a recognised goalscorer.

They drew that game 0-0 and were toothless in attack, despite Nemanja Matic being presented with the best chance of the game that would have won it.

Now he's had time to assess things at Chelsea, Hiddink says he isn't looking at the transfer market for options to bolster his team.

"We have Diego Costa and we also have Loic Remy back [fully fit after injury]," Hiddink said.

It was what came after that proved most telling, though.

"We also have some youngsters who can fill up the gap, so we're not [in for another striker] at the moment," he said.

It was a vote of confidence for those who are trying to break through at Chelsea. When the club has Bertrand Traore ready and available, where is the wisdom in bringing in another experienced striker to take his place on the bench?

Chelsea aren't looking for a striker to start every game in this moment. They need a player to support Costa and Remy, and Traore is looking like he will.

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It's precisely that method that has seen clubs like Tottenham Hotspur nurture their own young stars in the recent past.

Take Harry Kane, who played the back-up role to Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Saldado expertly. The young Englishman was limited to cameo appearances and cup games at first, but he was gradually able to gain experience and force his way into the team.

The hope now is that Hiddink is beginning to implement a similar culture at Stamford Bridge.

Of course, the past week has been a big boost in convincing him to do that. Ruben Loftus-Cheek came off the bench to score in the FA Cup against Scunthorpe United on Sunday before Kenedy almost replicated his exploits in Wednesday's 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

As it turned out, what we thought was Kenedy's goal was a Gareth McAuley own goal to put Chelsea 2-1 in front, but the youngster's run across the defender and his desire to score was what proved pivotal in the process.

Loftus-Cheek and Kenedy changed those games for Chelsea, giving Hiddink more belief that the club's budding youngsters can offer something between now and May.

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So why sign another player for £10 million or on loan? The logic isn't there, especially when it's Pato.

Chelsea have already been stung on taking a risk on a big-name striker this season. Radamel Falcao's loan has been a disaster, and he has blocked the pathway for youngsters coming through without actually strengthening Chelsea.

Without Falcao joining last summer, perhaps Jose Mourinho would have been forced to give Patrick Bamford a place on the bench. Perhaps Traore would have played more minutes than we've seen from him.

Better still, perhaps the ranks at Vitesse Arnhem and other clubs in Europe wouldn't be packed with talented Chelsea youngsters. They would be getting their experience in west London and we would be learning if they are good enough.

We still don't know if these players boast just potential or bona fide talent to make it to the top grade.

The point is, Chelsea stood to gain much more from taking a risk on a young player than a name last summer. Falcao or not, they were playing with fire, and as it's turned out, they've been burned.

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Pato went back to Brazil to play for Corinthians and Sao Paulo for a reason. He failed to impress in Italy with AC Milan and had to return home to rebuild his career.

We can point to his injury problems from Italy seemingly being sorted, yet he must do plenty more to prove he is deserving of another shot at an elite club in Europe, especially Chelsea.

Pato wouldn't be challenging Costa for a starting place at Stamford Bridge. He would be on the bench, filling in when Costa was unavailable or needed to be rested.

Those duties are ideal for Chelsea's youngsters.

The club has a duty to give these talented players a fair crack. Maybe that time has come now under Hiddink.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes