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Despite Chelsea shelling out £566m on new players since Todd Boehly became club owner, the Blues have regularly produced talented players from their academy.
Some stars have slipped through the net, and the club will surely regret their decision to release Declan Rice, who has since become West Ham’s captain and a key figure in the England squad.
Several other players started their careers at Chelsea before making appearances for different Premier League clubs.
Sportsmail have compiled images of some former prospects who were part of Chelsea’s academy, before making a name for themselves elsewhere. Can you guess who they are?
Declan Rice is one of the most famous examples of a player making an impressive recovery from being released from Chelsea’s academy, with the midfielder bouncing back at West Ham to become a £100m-plus rated star.
Another member of the same Chelsea youth team has also been through a similar journey and could become a Premier League title winner at the end of this season.
This striker played alongside Rice and current Chelsea regulars Mason Mount and Treveor Chalobah. He can be seen second from left in the bottom row of this old youth team photo, alongside Mount.
He spent seven years at the academy from 2008 to 2015, before being released by the club when he was at the under-14s.
Shortly after his departure he was promptly signed by Arsenal and the rest is history, as he initially made his Gunners debut in 2017 before scoring twice a month later in the EFL Cup against Norwich.
A spell away from the Gunners followed with a loan move to Leeds, but he has since become a first-team regular after biding his time at the Emirates. He admitted to having been inspired by Chelsea’s rejection of him when he scored twice for Arsenal in a 4-2 win over the Blues last year.
The all-time top scorer for the England under-21 team currently leads Arsenal’s goalscoring list this season with nine, as the club looks to win the title for the first time since 2004.
Answer: Eddie Nketiah.
Eddie Nketiah has led Arsenal’s line up in their bid for Premier League glory this season.
This striker, bottom left, spent seven years at Chelsea before moving to Liverpool.
This striker was another youngster who spent seven years at Chelsea, before leaving the club at 14 to join Liverpool.
Having featured in the same Chelsea youth team as Reece James, the striker claimed his decision to move was due to feeling there was no path to the Blues first team at the time.
He joined Liverpool on the recommendation of current Rangers manager Michael Beale, who himself had made the same change.
The striker’s reputation soared after he scored eight goals in England’s victory at the Under-17 World Cup, including three straight hat tricks in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
He could celebrate being part of Liverpool’s 2018-19 Champions League and 2019 UEFA Super Cup winning side, before scoring 11 goals in 22 games on loan at Swansea in the Championship.
A £23.5m move to Sheffield United followed in 2020 but failed to prevent the Blades from being relegated from the Premier League. A return to the top flight looks possible with Sheffield United currently in the automatic promotion places.
Answer: Rhian Brewster.
Brewster left the Chelsea academy as he believed the path was blocked at the club.
Former Blues striker Rhian Brewster joined Sheffield United from Liverpool in 2020
This winger made one Premier League appearance for Chelsea during his time at the club.
This winger spent nearly a decade on Chelsea’s books and is an Ivory Coast international. He joined the club as a youth in 2009, before progressing through the youth ranks.
His lone first-team appearance for Chelsea was fleeting, with Antonio Conte giving him a start for the opening game of the 2017-18 season. He played just 18 minutes of a 3-2 home defeat to Burnley after Gary Cahill received a straight red card.
The winger was part of Chelsea’s loan army during his time at the club, with spells in Rennes, Granada and Birmingham. He finally left the Blues permanently in 2018 when he moved to Sassuolo for £3.5m.
His performances led to a move to an exciting Atlanta side last season, and the winger had previously had ties to a return to Stamford Bridge.
Answer – Jeremie Boga.
This striker played for Liverpool and Sunderland in the Premier League after leaving Chelsea
This Italian striker only made four appearances for the club and spent time on loan at Swansea before finally leaving for Parma.
An impressive loan spell with Roma, which saw him form part of the Italy squad that finished runners-up at Euro 2012. His form also encouraged Liverpool to make him Brendan Rodgers’ first signing at Anfield.
He played for three seasons for Liverpool as a supporting player, before spending five years playing for Sunderland.
The striker then returned to Italy with AC Milan and later joined Hellas Verona. He currently plays for Fatih Karagumruk in Turkey.
Answer – Fabio Borini.
Fabio Borini has had a varied career since leaving Chelsea in 2011
This winger joined Chelsea’s academy in 2013 and went on to play 16 times for the club.
This former Chelsea prospect is currently in the Premier League with Aston Villa, having been pulled from a loan spell with Istanbul Basaksehir FK in the January transfer window.
The winger joined Chelsea’s academy from Auxerre in 2013, although he was expected to join three years earlier when he had a trial for the club.
The Burkina Faso international made 16 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, while also having loan spells at Vitesse and Ajax. Traore played the full 90 minutes of Ajax’s Europa League final loss to Manchester United in 2017.
He left for Lyon for a fee of around £9m in 2017. His 33 goals in 126 appearances convinced Aston Villa to bring him back to the Premier League for around £17m in 2020.
Answer: Bertrand Traoré.
Bertrand Traore joined Aston Villa in 2020 after a successful spell with Lyon in France.
This defender came through Chelsea’s youth system but struggled for first-team football.
This defender was called up to the England team before making his Chelsea debut, when Fabio Capello brought him into the Three Lions team for a friendly against Germany in 2008. The full-back did not appear in the end.
He had been called up after enjoying a successful loan spell at Wolves, while he had also been a regular in the England under-21 setup.
The defender made four appearances, including two starts for Chelsea in the 2008-09 season and lifted the FA Cup, while being named the club’s Young Player of the Year.
He left Chelsea for Hamburg in search of first-team football, before returning to England with Nottingham Forest and then spending two years in MLS with the New England Revolution.
The veteran now plays for Burton Albion in League One and made his international debut for the Seychelles last year.
Answer: Michael Mancienne.
Michael Mancienne was in Major League Soccer before joining Burton Albion
This international Dutch winger played twice for Chelsea in the Premier League
The defender has built an impressive Premier League career since leaving Chelsea, having made 213 appearances in the competition.
Just two of those appearances came for Chelsea, and the Dutchman had just 33 minutes of first-team action in the top flight for the Blues.
He had five loan spells away from the club between joining the academy in 2007 and his eventual permanent departure in 2014.
The full-back was a regular for three years at Sunderland before moving to Crystal Palace for £14m. Van Aanholt made 126 appearances in his five seasons at Selhurst Park, scoring 13 goals.
International 19 times with the Netherlands, since then he has gone through Galatasaray and PSV.
Answer: Patrick van Aanholt.
Patrick van Aanholt forged a successful Premier League career at Crystal Palace