For much of Roman Abramovich’s 19-year ownership, Chelsea’s aim has been instant gratification. There was never any desire to build a specific identity or culture around the club; it was win or change until they win.
Despite enjoying a reputation for one of the finest academies in England, the Blues’ lack of long-term vision restricted opportunities for young players. John Terry, former club captain, made his way through the youth ranks for his debut in 1998, but few followed in his footsteps.
Everything seemed to change in the summer of 2019 when Frank Lampard, Chelsea’s all time top goalscorer, became manager and a transfer ban took hold.
Now, with Lampard long since departed and Thomas Tuchel in the hot seat, Chelsea go into Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool with five academy graduates in their squad and a youth production line the envy of the Premier League.
‘The transfer ban was the best thing that could have happened’
One of these graduates, Mason Mount, has since made more than 100 appearances for the club, and become a regular member of England’s senior squad. Yet as he tried to make his way, spending time on loan in the Netherlands with Vitesse and then with Frank Lampard at Derby, his family wondered if Stamford Bridge was the right place for him.
Mount’s father Tony told BBC Sport: “The academy, the quality of the coaching and everything associated with it was world class. But having been there nine years leading up to Mason getting a scholarship, there was nothing to change my mind about him staying there because there wasn’t a pathway.
“I told Mason that no player had progressed and sustained a career in the Chelsea first team since John Terry. I met with other clubs who were talking about pathways. I made Chelsea aware but Mason told me he wasn’t going anywhere, this was his club and he was going to go all the way.
“Frank Lampard coming into the club and the transfer ban [made the difference]. It was all about timing. Mason, Reece [James] and Tammy [Abraham] all came back in at the right time; Mason was fortunate to have a year with Frank at Derby.
“We knew the door would be opened. Thomas Tuchel, following Frank, has the same philosophy and I think the club have seen that there is some real talent in the academy and always has been. The transfer ban was the best thing that ever happened from a lot of parents’ point of view.”
‘There were lost years’
The list of graduates is growing. Some of them are impressing on loan elsewhere in the Premier League, such as Conor Gallagher at Crystal Palace, and Tino Livramento and Armando Broja at Southampton. Fikayo Tomori, now at AC Milan, and Tariq Lamptey, now with Brighton, have made a significant impact since leaving the club. There have been years of missed opportunities though.
At various stages in their development, Declan Rice, Raheem Sterling and Rhian Brewster all spent time at Chelsea’s Cobham training base. Martin Taylor, a former youth scout for the club, saw them pass through.
“Chelsea’s strength has always been in recruitment and scouting between the ages of 12 and 16, but they’ve not had the managers to play the young players. The likes of [Antonio] Conte, Avram Grant, [Rafael] Benitez, they didn’t have the time,” Taylor says.
“Now, what Chelsea do really well, is they send players out on loan. Gallagher and Broja will both play there next season, because there has been a change in culture; they’ve shown they can handle the Premier League.
“Chelsea have always spent money because they’ve got money. They can now find the right player and spend big on them, like Romelu Lukaku, because they’ve got some good young players that are getting the chance. Lampard was key to that and there were lost years before.”
‘Everybody understands the door is open’
Tony Mount says the change in attitude has run right through the club, and the benefits from an international point of view are clear.
“Any manager that came in at Chelsea was not likely to be there for very long,” he says. “So he wasn’t going to invest in a young boy. It has been a revolving door, and that was the ethos. I know the academy managers believed in the boys and I know they were frustrated.
“I had these conversations when Mason was offered a scholarship and I was explaining about the offers. What could they say? They couldn’t put any facts in front of me. We were very lucky that Frank came in and he believed in the boys, but the reason they got their chance was the transfer ban.
“There is a Chelsea DNA now. Mason can play anywhere across the front three, anywhere across the midfield. Reece James can play right-back, right wing-back, I’ve seen him play up front in the academy. [Trevoh] Chalobah can play centre-half, midfield, full-back. This is what makes Chelsea stand out and what England are benefiting from and encouraging.
“Without a doubt, I believe the Chelsea hierarchy now understand that door is open. Mason regularly tells me there are a couple of youth players joining in senior training. That has happened in the past, but Mason used to say he didn’t want to train with the first team and be a mannequin, he wanted to add something to the session. Under Mourinho, if you trained, you’d be a mannequin – so that is a massive change.”
There have been 13 different managers at Chelsea since Abramovich’s arrival in 2003, and the club have won every major trophy going. For long periods, though, an impressive youth set up was untapped. Now, it appears those days are gone.
