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Chelsea are thriving under the leadership of Thomas Tuchel at the moment. Within a year of replacing Frank Lampard as head coach, Thomas Tuchel helped Chelsea win three major trophies. UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup are all in Chelsea's cabinet at the moment.
Although Lampard couldn't create much of an impact with his rich squad, he certainly deserves credit for bringing in top-level youth talent from the academy and across Europe.
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Tuchel put them all together in the correct order and prepared the best recipe. Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic are a few of the many youngsters at the club right now.
As we addressed the Chelsea youngsters of the present era, let's take a trip down memory lane to see Chelsea's youngest ever debutants.
Ranking the 5 youngest debutants in Chelsea's history.
#5 Ian Pearce — 17 years 4 days
Ian Pearce started playing at youth levels during late 1980s. However, he is still a relevant name within the footballing fraternity in England. Pearce is currently the head of recruitment for Premier League side West Brom.
Pearce played legthy stints at Blackburn Rovers and West Ham United before hanging up his boots in 2012. Ian Pearce joined the West Londoners as a young kid and marked his debut on 11 May 1991 against Aston Villa.
After accumulating only five cameos for the Blues, Pearce switched to Blackburn Rovers, with whom he won the Premier League title in 1995. He donned the role of coach post retirement.
#4 John Sparrow — 16 years 09 months 10 days
John Sparrow played his first game for Chelsea on March 13, 1974 against Burnley FC. Sparrow did not have the luxury of coming off the bench that other debutants usually have. He was deployed at the heart of the defense against third-placed (in the league table) Burnley FC.
Not to forget, Chelsea were 17th at that moment and were hanging by a thin thread outside the relegation zone. Nevertheless, the London outfit managed to register a 3-0 victory and John Sparrow had a huge impact on the game.
Chelsea finished safely that season and Sparrow was given numerous chances before the end of the season. He played his last game for the club on 16th February 1980 against Cambridge United in a 1-1 draw.
Throughout his career, Sparrow played in 74 games across all competitions for Chelsea.
#3 Tommy Langley — 16 years 09 months 01 days
Tommy Langley had a stellar and lengthy career with the Blue outfit. He joined the West London club in 1974 and remained with them until 1980. Langley played over 152 games for Chelsea during his tenure and netted 43 times.
The striker joined Chelsea as a trainee and appeared for the first time in 1975 against Leicester City. At that time, he was just three months away from turning 17. Unfortunately, Tommy Langley's debut season at the club coincided with their relegation.
Their comeback season (1977-78) was sensational for the forward, who netted 13 goals to become the team's top scorer. Chelsea were once again relegated the following season but Langley stood out by scoring 16 goals throughout the season.
His 16 goals equalled thrice of any of his other teammates' tally. Tommy joined QPR in 1980 for regular top-flight football.
#2 Michael Woods — 16 years 09 months
Michael Woods was a hot property during his youth days. Many Premier League clubs wanted him by their side but it was Chelsea who won the bid. Woods turned down a scholarship from Leeds United to join Chelsea. The move created some rift between the two sides and had to be settled out-of-court.
Woods spent his initial time with the club's reserve squad. He eventually earned a place in the team on 6 January 2007. The midfielder marked his debut at Stamford Bridge in Chelsea's third-round fixture of the FA Cup. Michael Woods made only a couple of FA Cup appearances for Chelsea.
His injury-laden stint denied him a spot in Chelsea's league games. However, the youngster was a permanent member of the Chelsea reserves.
#1 Ian Hamilton — 16 years 04 months 15 days
Ian Hamilton is not just the youngest-ever Chelsea debutant but also the youngest-ever goal scorer for the club. He managed to score on his debut and thus created massive hype around him. Hamilton achieved this feat on 18 March 1967 against rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Hamilton fell down the pecking order and joined Southend United until the end of the season. The midfielder joined Aston Villa and began a lengthy tenure with them. Hamilton donned the Villa jersey for over 208 games across seven seasons.
After leaving Aston Villa, Hamilton remained in England for another two seasons. He eventually left for the USA in 1978. After his playing days, Hamilton dedicated his life to coaching.
