Chelsea agree double deal that will save Xabi Alonso millions

6 Jul 2026 09:07 BST | 7 min read

Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

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Chelsea have reached an agreement on scholarship terms with academy wonderkids Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli ahead of the 2026-27 season.

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The 16-year-old talents are regarded as two of the best prospects in Chelsea’s famed academy and they are set to remain at the club for the foreseeable future after snubbing interest from clubs across Europe.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that Nicoll-Jazuli has penned a scholarship contract, which will turn into a professional deal when he turns 17 years old in January, while Football.London’s Bobby Vincent has confirmed that Watson has also committed his future to the Stamford Bridge outfit by signing scholarship terms.

It comes as a major boost for Chelsea, who have lost Jamal Musiala, Rio Ngumoha and Ryan McAidoo at 16 years old in recent seasons, and had feared that both Watson and Nicoll-Jazuli could depart too.

However, this hasn’t happened and it will come as a big help for Xabi Alonso if he is given time to build a serious project in west London.

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Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli could save Chelsea millions

Chelsea have one of the best academies in world football and their ability to produce elite young players hasn’t diminished despite their dip at first-team level under new owners BlueCo.

The likes of Shumaira Mheuka, Jesse Derry and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen all made headlines for their form in 2025-26, but Watson and Nicoll-Jazuli are arguably the two biggest talents in Chelsea’s academy.

The former, who is the son of former Wigan Athletic star Ben Watson, is a defensive midfielder who possesses immense athleticism and leadership, while he boasts the ability to dictate the tempo of a match from a deep-lying position.

He reads the game extremely well and he has all of the tools required to make the step up to senior football at some point in the near future.

Nicoll-Jazuli, on the other hand, is more of a box-to-box number eight who is capable of being deployed in any midfield role. He has elite technical proficiency and he has drawn comparisons to Jude Bellingham thanks to his progression at youth level for Chelsea and England.

Cole Palmer described him as a “baller” after he became the youngest player to ever feature for Chelsea in the UEFA Youth League last season, and he has regularly played several age groups up for club and country.

Nicoll-Jazuli excels in tight spaces in midfield and his vision is superb - as shown by his disguised assist for Sol Gordon during Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Manchester City in the U18 Premier League National Final.

@chelseafc Sol Gordon composure. 👏 #ChelseaFC #CFC #U18PL ♬ original sound - Chelsea FC

First-team involvement is unlikely to be handed to either player next season, due to the fact they won’t turn 17 years old until 2027, but they are expected to have a bright future at Stamford Bridge if they continue their current progression.

The Chelsea hierarchy have shown little patience with managers under the Clearlake Capital reign, however they look set to back Alonso and the Spaniard, as a former elite midfielder, could aim to integrate both Watson and Nicoll-Jazuli into the senior side within the next few years and it may save the Blues millions in the transfer market.

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