Chelsea\u2019s academy was once the dominant force in English youth football, but that era has shifted. The club\u2019s U-18s reached eight of nine FA Youth Cup finals between 2010 and 2018, winning seven of them, and two years later the production line helped deliver European success. Mason Mount and Reece James both started the Champions League final against Manchester City, with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Billy Gilmour among the substitutes.<\/p>\n
Since then, the pathway has changed. The 2020s have brought reconstruction and upheaval, with new ownership steering Chelsea in a different direction. The talent is still there, although plenty of it is now building careers elsewhere. Even so, the latest group of youngsters has reportedly impressed new manager Xabi Alonso, and the World Cup has created an opening for teenagers to make an early case for themselves during the Spaniard\u2019s first months in charge.<\/p>\n
Alonso has included several academy players in his touring squad this summer, and with senior options limited, youth will carry real responsibility in preseason. Five names stand out.<\/p>\n
Josh Acheampong is already viewed as a potential standout defender, and 18-year-old Olutayo Subuloye is not far behind in terms of expectation. One of seven academy players on tour, he signed his first professional contract in 2024 and captained the U-18s in 2025-26, leading them to the national title. Tall, composed and physically mature, he has been praised for his athleticism and ability on the ball.<\/p>\n
At 16, Madhi Nicoll-Jazuli is another player Chelsea believe can handle the jump. He committed his future to the club this summer despite interest from leading European sides and should sign professionally when he turns 17 next January. He has been at Chelsea since the age of eight, became the club\u2019s youngest-ever starter in the UEFA Youth League at 15, and played a major role in last season\u2019s U-18 success.<\/p>\n
Reggie Watson, also 16, has recovered from an injury sustained in April and appears to have made an impression on Alonso. Liam Rosenior once described his level as \u201cscary\u201d, and Watson\u2019s clean striking may give him a route into set-piece opportunities too.<\/p>\n
Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, 17, has already made his senior debut and offers end product from wide areas, scoring 13 times in 27 games last season. Omari Kellyman, now 20, arrives from a different route, having joined from Aston Villa in 2024 and later scored 11 times on loan with Cardiff City.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chelsea\u2019s youth reshaped, five youngsters could take their chance under Xabi Alonso in 2026-27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[190],"tags":[1883,1881,1882],"class_list":["post-18100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea","tag-madhi-nicoll-jazuli","tag-olutayo-subuloye","tag-ryan-kavuma-mcqueen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}