Incredible Chelsea 1st XI academy players: Chelsea has a plethora of talented young players throughout English football and beyond.
While Reece James and Mason Mount are now doing the business in the famed blue shirt, the club’s well-known loan system ensures that other rising talents get playing experience elsewhere.
It’s terrifying to think that the Blues may recall Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja from loan spells at Crystal Palace and Southampton.
When you combine that with the fact that Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham, both of whom came through the Chelsea academy, are riding high in Serie A, you might be forgiven for thinking that all roads lead back to Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, there are so many ties to Chelsea’s all-conquering development system that we’ve chosen to take a moment to consider how many fingerprints their youth system has left all over modern football.
If you’re wondering, the answer is a resounding yes, with Transfermarkt’s database of the most valued players to have gone through the Chelsea academy resulting in a staggering number of success stories.
Best Chelsea academy first XI players
Because of the high level of star quality, we decided to put together what we feel to be the finest XI of current Chelsea players who have progressed through the club’s development system.
Because it’s difficult to maintain track of every single footballer’s youth career, we’re going to rely on Transfermarkt’s records here, with any player who went through the system – rather than having to have graduated or made a first-team appearance for Chelsea – being eligible for selection.
Is that clear? Then check out the Chelsea academy’s best XI of young products below to see just how big of an influence the Chelsea academy has had on English football and beyond:
GK – Neil Etheridge
Ok, don’t evaluate the XI by the goalie because he is arguably the team’s weakest position, but Etheridge – who has 65 caps for the Philippines – played admirably for Cardiff City in the Premier League and now plays for the EFL Championship club Birmingham City.
RB – Reece James
It’s crazy to think that James has propelled himself from Championship football to one of the world’s best right-backs in barely two and a half seasons. However, simply put, it’s just a measure of his top-class ability.
CB – Fikayo Tomori
Tomori’s Chelsea career might have ended on a whimper, but he’s the one laughing now as he sits atop the Serie A table with over 50 AC Milan appearances to his name, attracting praise from Franco Baresi along the way.
CB – Andreas Christensen
Christensen may have only played in Chelsea’s junior divisions towards the tail end of his career, but he battled his way through the club’s loan system to become the dependable set of hands we know today with over 150 appearances.
LB – Nathan Ake
Ake, a Premier League champion with both Chelsea and Manchester City, may not have developed into the top defender that Pep Guardiola must have envisioned, but he has benefited much from his Chelsea schooling.
CM – Declan Rice
There must be a few members of Chelsea’s youth staff kicking themselves for letting Rice go because he’s gone on to become one of the first names on England’s team-sheet and a truly top-class holding midfielder.
CM – Conor Gallagher
Brace yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, because 2021/22 is the year that Gallagher announced himself to the world, competing for ‘signing of the season’ status such has been his impact at Crystal Palace.
CM – Mason Mount
Mount’s promotion from Championship footballer to Premier League footballer, like James’, only helped to highlight his lightning abilities and ability. There’s reason to believe he’s now one of the club’s most reliable players.
RW – Callum Hudson-Odoi
It’s easy to forget that ‘CHO’ is still just 21 years old, because making over 120 games for Chelsea without a single loan term, and in a variety of positions, is a status reserved for extremely gifted people at that age.
ST – Tammy Abraham
Should Chelsea have kept Abraham instead of bringing in Romelu Lukaku? That’s difficult not to think about it when Blues supporters witness him score 23 goals in 40 games for Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma.
LW – Jamal Musiala
The 19-year-old is one of the most intriguing young players in the world, with a transfer value of £50 million. He has nine caps for Germany and 13 goals for Bayern Munich. The one who eluded capture
Bench: Jamal Blackman, Tariq Lamptey, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Guehi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jérémie Boga and Armando Broja
Other incridible talents
So, except for the goalkeeping possibilities, it’s fair to argue that Chelsea has produced a conveyor belt of youth talent that has been used by either themselves or other teams across the world.
Besides, the fact that there wasn’t even a place on the bench for Tino Livramento, Bertrand Traore, and Billy Gilmour is a credit to all of the wonderful alternatives we had on our platter.
So, no matter whether Chelsea Football Club’s uncertain destiny leads them in the months and years ahead, they can rest certain that they’ve definitely done something right with their youth system.
