John Terry has offered a clear assessment of why Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne did not make an impact during their early spells at Chelsea. Terry, who was captain at the time both players arrived, argued that neither was ready to adapt to the club’s demands.

“Kevin De Bruyne came in, Mo Salah came in, have gone on to be absolute world beaters in the game, like incredible players. They came in at a time where they wasn’t ready for the group,” Terry told his former teammate John Obi Mikel on the podcast, The Obi One.

Terry described Chelsea training as exceptionally intense and said newcomers who were technically gifted sometimes struggled to match the group’s standards. “Now, they showed little bits of quality, but I have to say the level that Chelsea had at training was as hard as I’ve ever known training in our time.

“You know, people coming in that are really good, experienced players, just not understanding the level and falling by the wayside very quickly. It was very demanding.”

The contrasting trajectories of the two players are noted in the record of their time at Chelsea and how they performed against the club after leaving. Appearances for Chelsea: Mohamed Salah 19, Kevin De Bruyne 9. Goals for Chelsea: Mohamed Salah 2, Kevin De Bruyne 0. Appearances vs. Chelsea: Mohamed Salah 25, Kevin De Bruyne 22. Goals vs. Chelsea: Mohamed Salah 8, Kevin De Bruyne 5. Stats via Transfermarkt.

Both players subsequently returned to the Premier League with Manchester City and Liverpool respectively, and went on to become central figures for those clubs during a period in which those teams dominated domestic and continental competition, often outperforming Chelsea.

Terry’s reflections place the emphasis on adaptation to a particular environment and the demanding standards at Chelsea at that time, offering context for why two players who later became stars struggled in their initial spells at the club.

Scouting, data and transfer inflation have pushed more teenagers into football’s economic foreground. CIES Football Observatory’s valuation of the ten most valuable teens captures that shift, and the list reads like a map of recent transfers and early breakthroughs.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall arrives first in this story. Spurs paid £8.5 million for the Djurgarden midfielder and, after a breakthrough in 2025, his market value has risen sevenfold. CIES ranks him among the top ten teenagers after a spell adapting to London life when Ange Postecoglou had no choice but to trust the fearless Swede.

Palmeiras produced Endrick and Estêvão. Endrick moved to Real Madrid in a deal reported at $69.4 million, made 37 appearances mostly from the bench in his debut season and has since seen first-team chances limited under Xabi Alonso; a loan to Lyon was mooted. Estêvão joined Chelsea in the summer for an initial £29 million ($38.1 million) and has made an encouraging start at Stamford Bridge.

Sporting CP’s Geovany Quenda will join Chelsea next summer after a £44 million ($57.8 million) agreement. Quenda broke through in Lisbon under Ruben Amorim, became Sporting’s youngest-ever goalscorer and has transitioned from wingback to final-third operator.

Arsenal’s Hale End continues to supply talent. Myles Lewis-Skelly moved from youth central midfield to operate at left back for Mikel Arteta, has been encouraged to come inside and is now a fully fledged England international. Ethan Nwaneri, who made Premier League history in September 2022 at 15, finished 2024–25 with nine goals in all competitions and remains a key young playmaker.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaïre-Emery has earned praise from his manager, who described the then-17-year-old as “humble” and “very intelligent” back in September 2023. “He’s a leader, not with his words but on the pitch,” the PSG manager recently said of Zaïre-Emery, who is adding goals to his game.

Real Madrid paid as much as $73.2 million for Franco Mastantuono after a 2025 Apertura that included a memorable free-kick in the Superclásico. Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsí is the only centre back in the top ten, noted for his passing and partnership with Iñigo Martínez. CIES also highlights Feyenoord’s Givairo Read as the second most valuable teenage fullback, valued at $32.2 million.

Raheem Sterling and his family have been left shaken but physically unharmed after what police and his club describe as a second burglary at the player’s home. The incident, reported to have occurred at around 6:30 p.m., again targeted the former Manchester City and Arsenal forward.

A club spokesperson issued a statement on behalf of Sterling, underlining that he and his children were at home during the incident: “We can confirm that Raheem Sterling was the victim of a home break-in this weekend. We can also confirm that he and his children were present at home at the time.

“Whilst the ultimate violation of privacy and safety, we are thankful to be able to confirm that he and his loved ones are all safe. We ask that the privacy of Raheem and his loved ones be respected at this challenging time.”

Thames Valley Police have launched an inquiry and urged members of the public to come forward. In a brief statement they said: “Officers are conducting a thorough investigation and ask anyone with information, or if they saw anyone in the area acting suspiciously, to contact police.” The force has stated that officers are working to establish the full circumstances of the break-in.

Chelsea are aware of the incident and are offering support to the 30-year-old, his long-term partner and their four children, one of whom is from a previous relationship. Off-field matters of this nature come amid an uncertain period in Sterling’s playing career. He is omitted from Chelsea’s 25-player Premier League squad and has not appeared in any competition this season despite a contract that runs until 2027.

Sterling spent last season on loan at Arsenal, but that spell did not persuade manager Mikel Arteta to sign him permanently. The club and the player have asked for privacy as investigations continue.