Why are Chelsea's academy prospects all leaving?

Cameron Smith

• 27 Jul 2021 11:39 BST
• 6 min read

Chelsea arguably have the best academy in England, and under Frank Lampard, fans of the London club were able to see several of their own get a chance in the first-team.

Having won seven of the past 12 FA Youth Cup's, contesting in a further two finals, and winning five in a row between 2013/14 and 2017/18, Cobham proved a breeding ground for talent.

Historically, this breeding ground wasn't utilised as well as it could've, and John Terry was the most recent notable graduate before Lampard's tenure as manager.

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With a transfer ban, and a young manager who valued the academy, Chelsea turned to its younger players, and they stepped up. Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Billy Gilmour were all handed a role in the senior side for the first time, while Callum Hudson-Odoi remained in the set-up having been promoted by Maurizio Sarri.

It was a move prompted by necessity, but it was a move that most certainly worked out. However, while using the academy has solved many problems up until now, it has now created some problems, as the current breed of youngsters want a shot at the first-team.

Several stars have already left, and 16-year-old midfielder Emran Soglu is reportedly close to joining Bayern Munich, in a move similar to the one that saw Jamal Musiala leave the Blues.

Why do the academy players want to leave?

Reason One: The academy products already in the first-team.

Having seen the likes of Mount and James play pivotal roles in the first-team, other academy prospects now feel they deserve a chance, but there isn't space, and they've started to look elsewhere.

Although both those players went on loan moves away before getting a chance, Hudson-Odoi didn't, and he is a big part of the first-team now. That has prompted many young stars to believe they are good enough to play for Chelsea already. However, thanks to a bloated squad full of seasoned internationals, returning loan stars, and many of the best academy graduates, there isn't much room for the 17 and 18-year-olds who want a chance.

That has meant they've begun to look further afield in search of their footballing future.

Reason Two: Tariq Lamptey.

Although right-back is one of their strongest positions, in both the first-team and in the youth teams, Chelsea will be ruing letting Tariq Lamptey leave in 2020. Of course, they didn't have a choice, but they couldn't convince him to stay.

After impressing for the U23 side, and off the bench against Arsenal, Lamptey moved to Brighton and Hove Albion, and within six months, he was a Premier League star. In fact, before his injury last season, he was one of the best right-backs in the division, showcasing his fast feet, and fearlessness.

Lamptey's rise to prominence has shown other Chelsea youngsters that they can leave the club's academy, join another Premier League club, and be a starter in a very short space of time.

Reason Three: Thomas Tuchel.

This may seem like a strange one given the fact that Tuchel helped the likes of Julian Weigl and Christian Pulisic rise to stardom at Borussia Dortmund, but he hasn't done the same as of yet in England.

Abraham was unjustly dropped from the starting XI and the squad altogether by the end of the season, despite registering the same number of league goals as Timo Werner in far less minutes, Hudson-Odoi and Abraham have both been hauled off after just 45 minutes, and a player like Tino Anjorin hasn't yet been given a chance.

Now, this isn't a criticism at all of Tuchel, but so far during his time in charge, he's sensibly opted for experience over youth, and if that continues, even more young stars will want to leave the club.

Reason Four: Pursuit of high-profile targets.

Erling Haaland is clearly Chelsea's number one target, and if they land him, every Blues fan will be happy. However, at just 21, Haaland is as much an investment for the future as for the present, and that doesn't send out much of a positive message to the strikers in the academy.

Armando Broja has perhaps surprisingly signed a new five-year deal at the club, but the likes of Jude Soonsup-Bell and Ike Ugbo may push for an exit in the future.

Another example was their pursuit of Achraf Hakimi. The Moroccan ended up joining Paris Saint-Germain, but Chelsea bid for him. That left the future of Academy Player of the Year Valentino Livramento up in the air, which is why he is pushing to leave the club.

Reason Five: Options elsewhere

Finally, an obvious one; Chelsea's academy players are in demand.

With the high-level of coaching at Cobham, Chelsea's youngsters are fairly polished at just 18, and they're the best of the best in the country, meaning other clubs are sniffing around.

And, with all those other reasons listed, the players' heads are beginning to be turned.

Who has left already?

With all this talk about Chelsea's academy players leaving, who has actually departed the club?

Talented midfielder Lewis Bate has joined Leeds for £1.5m, attacking midfielder Myles Peart-Harris has joined Brentford and defender Dynel Simeu has run down his contract and is now a free agent, with a move to Southampton expected to happen.

Valentino Livramento is reportedly close to joining Brighton, whilst the aforementioned Soglo is nearing a move to Bayern.

In more senior terms, Marc Guehi has joined Crystal Palace for £18m, whilst Tomori has jumped ship to Italy and linked back up with AC Milan, this time on a permanent deal for £24m.