Chelsea boss Frank Lampard admits their transfer ban benefited the club's youngsters.
Lampard concedes several of those impressing this season would be out on-loan if not for their summer market transfer ban.
He told the Daily Mail: "Would Mason (Mount) have gone on loan again this year? Possibly. Probably. (Fikayo) Tomori definitely would. It was my decision to keep Tomori because I'd worked with him at Derby and loved his attitude.
"I don't have to play Tammy — he has to show me why, of our three strikers, he deserves it.
"The ban forced my hand slightly but I knew the fans wanted to see young players. I knew how much the academy put into these players.
"I'm not even talking about Mohamed Salah or Kevin De Bruyne — you mention them and you get an absolute headline. But there have been other academy players over the last 10 years who might have come through quicker.
"The sweat, the tears, the hours that go into those prospects. Neil Bath and Jim Fraser, who have run the academy for years, put so much into it.
"The day we beat Wolves 5-2, Tomori got the first, Tammy scores three, then Mason scores. You want to ring them up and go, 'Can we have a few pints tonight, lads?'"