'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chelsea have one of the finest academies in England, with the club's youth teams dominating competitions at home and in Europe.
The club's academy players have lifted seven of the last ten FA Youth Cups and have won the UEFA Youth League twice in as many seasons.
Over the years, the Chelsea academy has produced a plethora of fine graduates who have gone on to serve the club with distinction. John Terry, Graeme Le Saux and Robert Huth are some of the most prominent names in this regard.
Five Chelsea academy players who made their names away from Stamford Bridge
Unsurprisingly, Chelsea's academy grew in stature after the takeover of the club by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in the early 2000s. However, despite the quality of graduates produced by the academy, most have struggled to make the transition to the Chelsea first team due to a bevy of reasons.
Even though as many as 11 Chelsea academy players - a number that was unusually high as the club was hindered with a two-transfer window ban - made the club's first team in various competitions last season, that has been an aberration rather than the rule.
Over the years, many fine Chelsea academy players have been sent out on loan before being sold to other clubs where they found success.
On that note, let us have a look at five such Chelsea academy players, in no particular order, who made their names away from Stamford Bridge.
#5 Andy King
It may come as a surprise to many that Andy King - a player almost synonymous with Leicester City - joined the Chelsea academy as a nine-year-old before being released by the Blues six years later.
Climbing through the ranks at Leicester City, the midfielder made his debut for the club in 2007-08. During 375 appearances for the club in various competitions across three different divisions, King scored 61 goals and assisted 24 others.
After helping the club gain promotion from League One and the Championship, King helped the Foxes to an improbable Premier League triumph in 2015-16. The Welshman is currently on loan at Huddersfield Town.
#4 Nathan Ake
After graduating from Chelsea's academy in 2011, the then 16-year-old Nathan Ake played only a handful of games - 17 - across two stints with the Blues before making his name as a combative goal-scoring centre-back at Bournemouth.
The Netherlands international missed only nine league games (all during the 2019-20 season), scoring eight goals and assisting six others before moving to Manchester City this summer.
In a later interview, the former Chelsea academy player bemoaned his lack of enough game-time at the club, saying in this regard:
"I went back and was hoping to be playing for Chelsea, but in the end I still came back here. You always want to play more, but I know it's difficult to get into the Chelsea team. They have such a good team with many great, world-class players. I knew it was going to be difficult. I thought I did okay in the games I played and felt like I grew training around those players."
#3 Patrick van Aanholt
Patrick van Aanholt arrived at the Chelsea academy as a 17-year-old in 2007 but made a grand total of only two appearances for the club before moving elsewhere.
The 30-year-old Dutch left-back became a journeyman for a few years before finding some stability at Sunderland, where he made 95 appearances in all competitions during a three-year stint.
A Crystal Palace player since 2016, the former Chelsea academy graduate has made a name for himself as a formidable goal-scoring defender.
Van Aanholt talked about his frustration of being away on loan spells while at Chelsea, saying that he almost wanted to quit football:
“Obviously when you go on loan from Chelsea you expect to play. I was really thinking about quitting football. I was that upset, I wanted to stop."
#2 Rhian Brewster
Rhian Brewster joined the Chelsea academy at the age of seven and honed his skills there for seven years before leaving for Liverpool in 2015.
The 20-year-old forward later opened up on his reasons for leaving Chelsea, saying that he was unsure if the club thought he was good enough to make their first team.
“I spent a lot of time thinking about that and I kept asking myself why that was. There were some unbelievable youngsters at the academy. It became clear that the problem was opportunities and that they weren’t being made available, even to guys we thought would 100 per cent move up. I thought ‘Okay I think I’m good enough, but do they actually believe I am good enough to eventually make it in the first team?’"
Brewster made his Liverpool debut last year but soon left on loan for Swansea City, for whom he impressed in the Championship, scoring ten goals in twenty league games.
The 5' 11" forward is yet to score for his new club Sheffield United, whom he joined this summer.
#1 Declan Rice
Declan Rice started out in the Chelsea academy at the tender age of six before he was released by the club eight years later, a decision that still 'shocks' the defensive midfielder, who later said in this regard:
"I had to overcome a massive disappointment of being released by Chelsea at the age of 14. That was everything I ever knew to be honest. From nine to 14, training there Monday to Friday, playing games and to get told you won't be a part of that anymore was a major shock. I never thought it would have to happen but it did."
Now at West Ham United, where he rose up the ranks to become one of the standout players for the club's first team, Rice has more than made up for his disappointment of missing out at Chelsea.
Rice is only 21 but has already made over 100 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, impressing with his ability to break up play and also scoring the odd goal.
Rice, who recently made his England debut, could reunite with his good friend and fellow Chelsea academy graduate Mason Mount at Stamford Bridge soon, as Frank Lampard is reportedly interested in the services of his younger compatriot.
