Chelsea have one of the best academies in Europe, not to mention in England, with Cobham Academy graduates spread across the continent's biggest and best teams. While transfer mistakes such as selling Salah and Kevin De Bruyne have hurt Chelsea in recent years, arguably the more devastating blow has been seeing their young academy star leave the club to become outstanding footballers. The Blues have two wealthy owners, including Roman Abramovich and now Todd Boley. As a result, the West London club often ignores homegrown talent and opts for blockbuster signings. The policy continued this summer with Lewis Hall on loan to Newcastle United, with the deal set to switch to a permanent transfer in 2024.
Academy players may not always be the star of the team, but Chelsea fans will be quick to point out that their famous Cobham Academy rising star deserves better use over the past few years. The Blues have spent a fortune expanding their first-team squad to ensure there are no bench depth issues, but if they had simply used their Academy to flesh out their first team, saving vital money in the process, the money could have been used to sign a big-name star like Osmayne. However, this did not happen and Chelsea have to regret the departure of some of the new stars as their Academy stars have enjoyed success outside of Stamford Bridge. Let's take a look at some of the 10 Academy players Chelsea may regret selling.
Lewis Hall (Newcastle)
It makes sense to start the list with 18-year-old Hall, who recently completed a one-season deal with Newcastle United. A loan to Crystal Palace was almost completed earlier this summer, but Chelsea stalled, forcing Hall to sign a new six-year contract and swiftly transfer him to St James' Park. If certain conditions are met, Newcastle will sign the versatile star permanently next summer. Hall was arguably a sporadic highlight in last season's dismal Chelsea squad and his aggressive commitment at left-back provided great value to a team lacking creativity or courage. Two or three years from now, when he is considered one of the best young players in England, people will miss him terribly.
Livramento (Newcastle)
Hall was able to meet former youth team-mate Livramento at Newcastle. Chelsea's 2021 Player of the Year shined at right-wing-back during his time at Cobham, but his first-team journey was ultimately blocked by fellow Academy talent Reece James. Southampton saw an opportunity to sign the young player in 2021 and made an offer of around €6 million, which was quickly accepted by Chelsea. He excelled in his first Premier League debut and, although he missed the rest of the season due to an ACL injury, Newcastle believe he can be trusted and agreed a contract in early August 2023. In January, Chelsea bought Lyon's rising star Marlo Gusto for €30 million as a replacement for the vulnerable James, but could have been fully saved if they had convinced Livramento to stay.
Tomori (Milan)
Fikay Tomori joined AC Milan in early 2021 and is the first high-profile rising star to leave Chelsea for another location. The Englishman was a key figure in Frank Frank Lampard's first season in charge but was soon replaced by Thiago Silva and unable to return to the starting line-up. Since then, Fikayo Tomori has proven himself to be an excellent centre-back in Serie A, becoming one of the best centre-backs in Serie A in his position. Since his departure, Chelsea have spent more than €200 million on new centre-backs, at least some of which could have been avoided if they had kept faith in Fikayo Tomori.
Guei (Crystal Palace)
Much like Tomori, Guei left Chelsea in 2021 and has excelled since saying goodbye to his childhood club. Guei has become captain of Crystal Palace and cemented his position as one of the most underrated Premier League defenders. In addition, since his move to Selhurst Park, he has been endorsed by the England national team and is expected to be named in Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad. Guey is excellent in possession and his leadership is top-notch, both of which will help the current Chelsea team. If Fikayo Tomori and Gue stay at the club, they will save Chelsea a lot of money and transfer trouble.
Andreas Christensen (Barcelona)
Andreas Christensen joined Chelsea Under-18s from Brondby in 2012 and won the 2014 FA Youth Cup with Ruben Loftus Cheek. The Denmark international was a key figure in the 2020-21 Champions League winners and his performance in Tuchel's three-back system is exemplary. However, he is often embarrassed by opposing centre-forwards and is prone to injury, but overall Andreas Christensen is an excellent player for the Blues. He has also been in good form since joining Barcelona, with the Dane building an excellent partnership with Ronald Araujo. As Tomori and Guei have shown, Chelsea could have saved a lot of money by convincing their academy centre-back to stay – money that could have been used to sign Osmayne, for example.
Nathan Ake (Manchester City)
Nathan Ake is one of City's unsung heroes of the 2022-23 treble and one of Pep Guardiola's most trusted players. The Dutchman spent six years at Chelsea after joining Chelsea from Feyenoord at the age of 16, but that time included three loan spells at Reading, Watford and Bournemouth. The centre-back squad of Ake, Andreas Christensen, Lewis Hall, Gue, Fikayo Tomori and Trevor Chalobah may not sound as luxurious as Chelsea's current defender squad, but they are all self-developed and may not be as injury-prone as the Blues' current options.
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Declan Rice left Chelsea Academy at the age of 14, so while the club didn't actually sell him, they did let him go for free when he was a teenager, a decision that looks worse every year. The midfielder is now a starter for the England national team and joined Chelsea's London rivals Arsenal for more than €115 million in the 2023 summer transfer window. Considering that the Blues have spent €299 million on Enzo Fernandez, Moise Caicedo and Romeo Lavia since the beginning of 2023, it was a decision that would sting Blues fans and staff, although it was impossible to predict the trajectory of Rice's career at the time.
Michael Olisse (Crystal Palace)
Chelsea spent weeks trying to sign Michael Olisse from Crystal Palace, but the Hawks threatened legal action and tied the Frenchman to a new long-term contract. This heartbreak could have been avoided if Chelsea had kept Olise in 2016. The London-born winger spent seven years at the Blues Academy before deciding he wasn't good enough to stay at Cobham. He spent a brief spell at Manchester City before joining Reading in 2017. Olise then rose to prominence in the Championship and moved to the Premier League in 2021. Olisse provided 11 league assists in 2022-23, the fourth highest number of assists in the English top flight.
Abraham (Rome)
Abraham had a poor 2022-23 season but has been an excellent signing for Roma since joining the Italian giants in 2021. In his debut season at Roma, Tammy Abraham broke the Englishman's record for the most Serie A goals in a single season, becoming the first Roma player in history to score 22 goals in his first year with the club. In Frank Lampard's first year in charge, he was Chelsea's top scorer and, despite playing just 1,003 minutes in league games the following season and Thomas Tuchel leaning towards other options, Tammy Abraham still scored the same number of goals in the Premier League as Timo Werner – six.
Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal)
The last player on the list is Eddie Nketiah, who is in the same Chelsea youth team as the aforementioned Rice. Nketiah was dropped by the Blues in 2015 after seven years at Chelsea Academy, with both now playing for Arsenal. Nketiah may not have been used as a starting striker for Arsenal, but his ability is unquestionable. Had Nketiah stayed at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's problems in front of goal might not have happened.