Chelsea has a strong academy that produces top talent. Players like Reece James and Levi Colwill are currently key to the team. James is the captain, and Colwill has made many appearances. Several players have left Chelsea recently, including Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham.
Declan Rice and Michael Olise are two who left young without playing for the first team. Rice was in Chelsea’s academy from 2006 to 2013 before joining West Ham, where he played 245 games and scored 15 goals. He later moved to Arsenal for £105 million. Olise was with Chelsea from 2009 to 2016, joined Manchester City briefly, and then moved to Reading, where he played 73 games. He then transferred to Crystal Palace and later moved to Bayern Munich for over £50 million.
Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher also came through the academy. Mount played a key role in Chelsea’s 2021 Champions League win. He left for Manchester United in 2023 after making 195 appearances and scoring 33 goals. Gallagher captained Chelsea for part of the 2023/24 season and moved to Atlético Madrid for around £33 million.
Dominic Solanke also left Chelsea but had a different journey. He was sold for just £3 million to Liverpool in 2017 after scoring 35 goals in youth matches. He struggled at Liverpool, making only 27 appearances. Bournemouth then signed him for £19 million in 2019, where he became a star. Solanke scored 77 goals for Bournemouth and had a standout 2023/24 season, leading to a £65 million move to Tottenham.
This season, Solanke has made nine appearances for Spurs, scoring three goals. Chelsea’s current strikers, Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, have also been productive. Jackson has five goals in nine appearances, while Nkunku has seven goals in 12 matches.
Comparing their stats per 90 minutes shows differences. Solanke scores 0.38 goals, Jackson 0.74, and Nkunku 1.36. Solanke excels in aerial duels, winning 1.74 per game, which adds a physical dimension that Jackson and Nkunku do not provide.
Chelsea is satisfied with Jackson and Nkunku but seeks another striker who can enhance their aerial threat. Solanke could have filled that role had he stayed at Chelsea. The academy continues to produce talent, but losing players like Solanke might have been a mistake.
