At the end of the 2014/15 season, Jose Mourinho addressed oft repeated criticisms about the Chelsea youth system, stating that the portrayal of the club as a ‘graveyard for young talent’ was unfair.
His comments generated a sense of optimism about a crop of talented players currently taking the world of youth football by storm.
Here we take a look at 5 of Chelsea’s best young players with the potential to break into the first team.
Dominic Solanke
Born: 14th September 1997 – Height: 6ft 1 – Position: Striker
Solanke made his debut last season in the Champions League against Maribor and demonstrated exceptional mobility and composure on the ball.
In light of his performance, it may come as a surprise to Chelsea fans that this powerful young athlete is still only 17 years old.
His incredible goalscoring exploits at youth level are well documented and the technique, pace and confidence he displayed in his first team cameos last season show that he is ready to make the transition into the first team squad.
Solanke is one of the triumvirate of young stars Mourinho referred to as genuine prospects for the future in his surprisingly strong statement about Chelsea’s youth team at the end of last season.
At club level he played a crucial part in back-to-back youth cup wins and other domestic successes. Internationally he was instrumental in England’s recent UEFA European Under-17 Championship win, and was subsequently award England’s youth player of the year award for 2014.
Chelsea have notoriously had issues trying to find a dynamic, prolific centre forward to hang their hat on since Didier Drogba’s powers began to wane. While the signing of Diego Costa last summer was an absolute masterstroke, Solanke’s rapid progress towards the first team may prove even more influential in the long term.
Izzy Brown
Born: 7th January 1997 – Height: 6ft 0 – Position: Striker/Winger/Attacking midfielder
After becoming the second youngest player of all time to make an appearance in the Premier League, Brown left West Brom to join Chelsea in a controversial move which ended with the Blues paying the West Midlands club substantial compensation.
There are numerous reasons why the West Londoners went to such lengths to capture his signature. Tall, powerful and deceptively technical; Brown possesses a range of skills including the gift of natural leadership.
Additionally, he is a lifelong blues fan, which adds an invaluable dimension to an already exciting attacking prospect.
Recently he has been instrumental for the club at youth level and also starred alongside Dominic Solanke in England u17s European Championship win last year.
The only real questions about Brown are related to his best position. He has played in every role across the forward line in a variety of formations, but hasn’t yet found his niche.
Fortunately, Mourinho’s confidence in the player stems from Brown’s all-round ability and if the youngster manages to continue his progression, he will likely be competing for a first team spot within the next couple of years.
Bertrand Traore
Born: 6th September 1995 – Height 5ft 10 – Position: Striker/Winger/Attacking Midfielder
We’ve gone into more detail about Bertrand Traore here, but for the uninitiated, he has bags of technique, a sweet left foot and unerring composure. He is already showing that he is a big-game player which can only be good news for a Chelsea side set to depend more heavily on youth in the coming years.
Mourinho is a massive fan of the young winger but unfortunately, Traore was unable to obtain a work permit to play in England until recently.
The Burkina Faso international’s performances on loan at Vitesse Arnhem last season were nothing short of exceptional. He nailed down a starting position and scored a number of important goals in the Dutch premier division, memorably grabbing a brace against perennial title contenders, Ajax. Â
Now that he is eligible to play for Chelsea, reports suggest that he will immediately be included in the first team squad and given his chance to demonstrate his value in pre-season, which shows how highly regarded he is at the Bridge.
Of all of the players mentioned, Traore is the only one who has already consistently shown his quality at the top level, which will give him a massive advantage as he attempts to break into the first team next season.
With the number of games Chelsea are set to play in 2015/16, there will certainly be opportunities for him to make an impact.
Because of his impressive track record, it seems like a question of when Traore will break through rather than if.
Lewis Baker
Born: 25th April 1995 – Height 5ft 9 – Position: Attacking Midfielder/Central Midfielder
Baker first signed for Chelsea at the age of nine. Since then he has made steady progress, culminating in his inclusion in the England under-21 squad.
As an accomplished and reliable midfielder with energy and craft, Baker represents the good work that has been going on in the Chelsea youth setup in recent years.
The cultured central midfielder is seen as a standard bearer for young players at Stamford Bridge, having worked hard over the years to realise (and deliver on) his obvious potential.
It was recently confirmed that Baker will go out on loan to Vitesse Arnhem next season, which represents a fantastic opportunity for him.
Players including Bertrand Traore – and to a lesser extent Josh McEachran – have increased their stock by performing well at Vitesse.
If Baker makes the most of it, his experience abroad could be a big factor in his progression toward the first team.
Time will tell whether he can bridge the gap. There is an abundance of talent in the middle of the park and particularly in attacking midfield where he specialises. This may limit his opportunities somewhat and realistically, there are a few other young players mentioned here who are likely to be in front of him in the pecking order.
Due to his intrinsic tenacity, he should never be written off. Baker’s quality could carry him to the top of the game if he continues to develop.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Born: 23rd January 1996 – Height 6ft 3 – Position: Central Midfielder/Defensive Midfielder
Loftus-Cheek was the one youth player Mourinho utilised regularly in the closing stages of last season.
The powerful defensive midfielder produced some highly accomplished performances and his incredible rate of progress is said to be one of the key factors in Jon Obi Mikel’s decision to request a transfer.
Unfortunately, after Loftus-Cheek’s ineffectual performance against Sydney FC during Chelsea’s post-season tour, Mourinho unleashed some stinging criticism regarding the youngster’s workrate.
Coming from any other manager, that outburst may have sounded the death knell for the young midfielder’s career at the club. With Mourinho though, there’s often a hidden context.
Over the years, a number of technically gifted players benefitted from Jose’s insistence on work ethic, the most recent example being Eden Hazard.
The Belgian superstar took his manager’s words as they were intended; as a reminder that he could offer more to the team by putting in the hard yards. As a result of his own determination last season, Hazard became the focal point of a title winning side, scoring numerous decisive goals and claiming a number of personal accolades along the way.
The criticism of Loftus-Cheek simply represents the high standards Mourinho expects of all first team players. He will probably start the season as our third or fourth choice defensive midfielder and if he continues to show the same guile and competence he did in the majority of his first team performances so far, he could rapidly move up the pecking order.
But seriously… do they have a genuine chance of breaking into the first team?
John Terry was the last player to emerge from the Chelsea youth setup to become an established member of the first team.
People often suggest that the club’s ‘deficiencies’ in this area are a direct result of a supposed predilection towards buying established internationals instead of giving young players a chance. This derivative theory doesn’t take into account how John actually broke into the side in 1998.
At the age of 18 Terry was competing with Marcel Desailly and Frank LeBoeuf for a place in the first XI. Two players who – let’s not forget – had won the world cup as France’s first-choice defensive pairing the previous summer.
Terry could have complained that his path was blocked or that Chelsea were spending millions on foreign stars, but instead he knuckled down and worked towards his goal.
Up until recently, Chelsea simply haven’t had another youth player with the necessary drive, quality and consistency to replace established internationals in the first team.
Chelsea have been one of the most successful sides in Europe in recent years. The club can afford to wait for real superstars to emerge rather than clumsily thrusting ill-equipped young players into the side.
Mourinho’s bold statement regarding the current crop of youngsters suggests that we are going to see some fantastic home-grown players competing for places in the first team in the near future.
If what they have demonstrated so far is anything to go by, it will have been well worth the wait.
