Chelsea rising star Alfie Gilchrist on being mentored by idol John Terry and what critics of Blues’ academy strategy are missing

Alfie Gilchrist chuckles when told about the phone call that took place two weeks prior to our interview, when the morning run in the nursery was interrupted not by an annoying PPI sales pitch, but rather by a pleasant JT conversation.

It’s safe to say John Terry is a fan of Gilchrist, with the Chelsea legend and Cobham coach hyping the 20-year-old defender on loan at Championship high-flyers Sheffield United, who he says he has seen himself in.

The messages of support hardly exceed those from Terry, who graciously called after Mail Sport asked the academy adviser for insight into one of Chelsea’s most promising prospects.

Flattered that his ‘idol’ is so passionate about his potential, Gilchrist knows he still has a long way to go to achieve this now that he has settled into the great footballing city of Sheffield.

There was interest from other clubs in the Championship in the summer, as well as the German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A. The latter would have been a particularly intriguing proposition for its development as a league that celebrates the art of defending. But Gilchrist, a right-back and centre-back, only had eyes for Bramall Lane, as he explains here in his first major interview.

“As soon as I heard about Sheffield United, which was the only thing I was interested in, I wanted to come here as quickly as possible,” says Gilchrist. ‘I was here last season when I was on the bench (in a 2-2 draw). I saw the atmosphere and thought this was the place I would like to play.

‘I watched them when they were in the Premier League – after being promoted in 2019 under Chris Wilder – and I really liked the way they played when they had overlapping centre-backs. I spoke to the manager and it was a perfect opportunity for me to show what I can do.

“It was just the next step for me, you know? There was a big squad at Chelsea, I wanted to play this season and this is what I had to do for myself. So far this has proven to be the right decision.’

Gilchrist joined Chelsea from QPR at Under 11 level, so it had literally been half a lifetime since he last wore another club’s shirt. But his passion matches the red and white of United and he is grateful that Sheffield is starting to feel like a home from home, with Wilder adding what he describes as the ‘nice touch’ of a personal tour of Bramall Lane on the day that he arrived. .

That was also a hectic day. Gilchrist got checked out at the Canon Medical Arena, put pen to paper at the Blades training complex, had lunch at Italian restaurant Piccolino and then went apartment hunting because it’s much better to be all in than at the Radisson to stay. As beautiful as that hotel overlooking Sheffield Town Hall.

There is no Gilchrist coddling Wilder, even though he is a 20-year loanee in a new town. “Absolutely not,” he says. ‘Everyone is the same, one of his players. You quickly realize how important every game is for the club and the fans, especially here in Sheffield.”

Not least in their last appearance, a 1-0 Steel City derby day win over Sheffield Wednesday, in which he started at right-back.

“That was big,” he continues. “People would come up to me on the street or when I was grocery shopping and say, ‘You know this is a big game? You have to do this. You have to do that.” You could feel it, the atmosphere building up to that game. It was a special day.’

Gilchrist will watch Chelsea when his schedule allows, although that won’t be possible this Saturday as their 12.30pm kick-off in Coventry clashes with his parent club’s visit to Leicester. However, there will be coaches poring over his performances at Cobham as the Blues remain in regular contact with Gilchrist – and their other loanees, from Burnley’s Bashir Humphreys to Strasbourg’s Andrey Santos – through the loan department led by former goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.

Reece James and Levi Colwill also enjoyed season-long loans in the Championship with Wigan and Huddersfield at the start of their blossoming careers. Today they are Chelsea first-team players, stars of Stamford Bridge, one the club’s captain, the other their best centre-back.

So much for Chelsea not paying attention to Cobham, while Gilchrist responds to outside criticism from rivals: ‘You can see there is a pathway for the academy players because they are doing it now. You can name the players who come out of the Chelsea academy, not only when they play for Chelsea, but elsewhere as well. Everyone knows what a good place it is there.’

Supporters at Stamford Bridge will remember Gilchrist’s debut last season, even though it came as an 89th-minute substitute in a 2-1 Premier League win over Crystal Palace. His first contribution was a bone-breaking challenge to Jeffrey Schlupp, followed by an attempt to block free space with his head, a la Terry.

They have also not forgotten his first goal, which completed the 6-0 win over Everton. No player ever celebrated a sixth goal as euphorically as Gilchrist did that day.

The same can’t be said for the star himself as he admits his right-footed shot past Jordan Pickford: ‘I can’t even remember what happened next. The emotions took over. The excitement. It’s something fans love. I was one of those fans too.’

That’s true, because Gilchrist comes from a blues family and grew up going to matches, sitting in the East Stand at Stamford Bridge. Given that Terry was his idol, isn’t it strange that the Chelsea captain, leader and legend is now his mentor?

“It was weird the first few times, yes, surreal, but you get used to it,” he says of their one-on-one meetings and pep talks. ‘You have a connection, a relationship, you can speak openly. He’s good to me. He had the top career and did it for a long time.

‘I feel like I’m making progress with every match. I am happy here. Promotion is the goal for us and next season we will see what happens.”

John Terry’s verdict on Alfie Gilchrist

Literally from the first practice I saw him in, he reminded me of myself. He was eager to learn, asked me questions about defending and constantly thought about what I would do in different situations.

And he is 100 percent in everything he does. Whether that’s the warm-up to get him going, he’s all in. You never want to take that away again. Even on his recovery days he drives 100 miles per hour.

As he gets older, he will understand how to deal with it and how to be. But it’s a great trait for a young player and it can definitely set you apart.

When you play for Chelsea you have a great ability to be there in the first place. But it’s really important for younger players to have that mentality and Alfie had that in abundance from a young age.

Even when I was talking to Alfie, he had just broken into the Under 21s, which was great, but he had goals he wanted to achieve – zero goal, goal goal, and he wanted to make his debut for the first team. .

He said, “I’m looking for my next steps, JT. After that I would really like to go out on loan.’ That was music to my ears. Alfie really wanted to get outside and into a changing room with grown men.

I see him as a centre-half, but he is very comfortable as a right-back in the Championship. Even for the Under 21s, he would sometimes step into midfield and play that role.

Being very comfortable on the ball is the norm in modern football and he has that. That will serve him well as he progresses and the higher he goes in the game.

Hopefully he comes back to Chelsea and breaks into our team. Seeing the journeys of these young players and playing a small part in helping them really makes it rewarding for me to be Chelsea through and through.

I love it. Alfie and all his family are Chelsea too, so I know deep down he wants to come back and break through.