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Chelsea have spent a huge amount of money on players and infrastructure since Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003. Part of the infrastructural development was to improve the academy. This decision has proven to be fruitful for Chelsea, with their youth set-up among the best in England, if not across Europe.
Academy graduates saved Chelsea during transfer ban.
When Chelsea were banned from signing any players in 2019, manager Frank Lampard quickly turned towards some of the young players groomed in the academy. This move saw Reece James, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Billy Gilmour thrust into the first team, and they have thrived ever since.
It should be noted that before Lampard, other Chelsea managers tended to use academy players as an afterthought, forcing many to leave the club. A number of outrageously talented youngsters have come through the Chelsea youth set-up in recent years, but few have gone on to become seasoned stars.
Here is a list of five Chelsea youngsters who failed to live up to the hype they generated when they first broke through.
#5 Michael Mancienne
English midfielder Michael Mancienne was touted as one for the future. As a youngster, he got his first Three Lions call-up even before he made his Premier League debut. Mancienne was capable of playing across the backline and also in defensive midfield, making him a valuable asset to the club.
Mancienne joined Chelsea as a nine-year-old and made his debut in the 2008/09 season, playing in the league, Cup and Champions League. He was named the club's Young Player of the Year and rewarded with a new four-year contract but never played another game.
Mancienne left Chelsea for Wolverhampton Wanderers before embarking on a journey around the world. Now 33, Mancienne plies his trade with Burton Albion in the lower rungs of English football.
#4 Lucas Piazon
When Chelsea brought in a teenage Lucas Piazon, word quickly spread that the club had secured the signing of the next Kaka. Blessed with a similar stature to the Brazilian Ballon d'Or winner, Piazon was supposed to be the next big thing at the club.
Aged 18, he was named the club's Young Player of the Year in 2012 after impressing greatly for the youth sides in various competitions. Piazon made his sole Premier League appearance in late 2012, assisting a goal and winning a penalty which he missed in Chelsea's 8-0 drubbing of Aston Villa.
It would turn out to be his last appearance for the club before he started a series of loan moves over the next eight years of his career.
The Brazilian secured a permanent deal with Portuguese outfit Braga in 2021 to end his ten-year association with Chelsea.
#3 Josh McEachran
Chelsea had English midfielder Josh McEachran in their books for many years. The Englishman joined Chelsea as a seven-year-old and rose through the ranks to play for the first team. McEachran made his senior debut in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League win against MSK Zilina as a substitute for Yossi Benayoun in a 4-1 win.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti showed his trust in the teenager, playing him 17 times in his first senior season at the club. McEachran was named Chelsea's Young Player of the Year in 2011.
He made a further five appearances for the club before he was frozen out by new manager Andre Villas-Boas. McEachran spent five seasons on loan before joining Brentford on a permanent deal in 2020. McEachran currently plays for MK Dons in League One.
#2 Islam Feruz
Scottish striker Islam Feruz was touted as the next big thing at Chelsea after he was poached from Celtic for around £300,000 as a teenager.
The Somalia-born striker was described by former teammate Celtic teammate Andrew Robertson as the star of the group. The striker always scored the most goals for his Celtic side and arrived in London as a highly-rated 16-year-old youngster.
Feruz scored twice in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup final in 2012 against Blackburn Rovers as Chelsea claimed the title for the second time in three years. He made his first team debut in a pre-season friendly against Malaysia XI in 2013 before signing a long-term contract in 2014.
Feruz spent the entirety of his contract on loan before being released by the club in January 2019. He retired from football in 2020 to set up a company that sells designer caps.
#1 Gael Kakuta
Gael Kakuta joined Chelsea from French side RC Lens in a controversial transfer that earned the club a fine and transfer ban, both of which were later overturned. Kakuta was named the Academy Player of the Year and Academy Scholar of the Year in the 2007/08 season, his first in England. He was also nominated for the 2010 Golden Boy award for his brilliance at youth level.
The winger made 16 senior appearances for Chelsea before going on several loans and eventually leaving the club for Sevilla in 2015. A promising start to his Chelsea and French age-grade careers quickly fizzled out.
Kakuta switched international allegiance to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2017, having represented France across several youth levels. Now 30 years old, Kakuta is on the books of RC Lens in the French Ligue 1 once again.
