Five academy wonderkids Chelsea risk losing
Cameron Smith
- 15 Mar 2022 15:10 CDT
- 6 min read
Chelsea are currently in a crisis. The future of the club looks unstable, there is no means of financing their everyday activity, and fans are angry.
The sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich have left Chelsea in a precarious position whereby staying afloat is the only goal. Of course, it's a situation that should be resolved in the near future, but that all depends on when Abramovich officially sells the club and hands the reins to somebody else. Until then, Chelsea are in panic mode.
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Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta now seem all but gone given their current contracts expire this summer, and they can't be renewed yet, but they may not be the only losses Chelsea could suffer.
The whole squad is unlikely to depart, but it's a nightmare scenario playing out at Stamford Bridge. The club is currently losing money with every passing day, and even when new owners come in to rectify the situation, it could be dire.
Chelsea can't sell any players so excluding the aforementioned trio leaving for free, they don't have to worry too much about stars being sold; quite simply because they can't sell any players right now. But, when a new owner[s] arrives, they will need to inject money simply to keep Chelsea going, rather than to take them to the next level.
Players may need to be sold to finance that and to finance the signings the club no doubt want to add. So, sacrifices will need to be made, and given the exodus of young talent last summer, it could be a similar scenario at Chelsea again.
The pathway to the first-team has become slightly blurry again, although Thomas Tuchel has attempted to give chances to younger players. There are several Chelsea youngsters who could be pinched by other clubs who are looking to take advantage of the Blues' current situation, but who are they?
Harvey Vale
Starting with the most concerning, Harvey Vale's future is in the balance, which isn't something Chelsea are best pleased with. The club had been negotiating with the player's representatives over a new deal, with his current one set to expire in 2023.
The club were desperate for him to renew his contract at the club, but the news of no contract extensions halted those plans.
Vale is one of the most promising talents to emerge from Cobham in recent years, and has already been training with the first-team for a little while. Not only that, but he made his senior debut in the Carabao Cup against Brentford, while he was entrusted to change the game against Luton in the FA Cup, despite more senior options also being available on the bench.
He is seen as a future Chelsea star, but the club face the most risk of losing him. Clubs around Europe will no doubt have been alerted by this, and he will certainly have options.
For someone with nine goals and three assists in academy football this year, Vale is the future of Chelsea, but only if they can keep him.
Jude Soonsup-Bell
Just like Vale, Jude Soonsup-Bell's contract is set to expire in 2023. Negotiations similarly can't be conducted, so Chelsea are in limbo in regards to his future.
The striker also made his first-team debut in the Carabao Cup against Brentford, but hasn't yet been afforded the same opportunities as Vale in the senior set-up.
Clubs will be able to start negotiating a pre-contract agreement with Soonsup-Bell before long, and Chelsea run the risk of losing a player who certainly has potential.
Now, Soonsup-Bell has stagnated this year, and doesn't look the potential superstar Vale does, but losing him would still be a blow. Just one goal in the Premier League 2 this year doesn't paint a pretty picture, but he's bagged six in all competitions, and Chelsea have struggled this year, sitting in the relegation zone in the U23 top division. He also scored 19 last campaign.
Lewis Hall
Now, moving onto players whose contract isn't an issue, but could still be pinched if a better, more stable project is pitched to them, and Chelsea need to sell in order to balance the books.
Lewis Hall is one such name that other clubs will be targeting. The versatile left-footer made his senior debut in the FA Cup against Chesterfield, playing the full 90 minutes at left-centre-back, and grabbing an assist. What's made his debut even more impressive is the fact he's a central midfielder by trade.
He has filled in at left-wing-back for the academy teams, but his home is in the middle of the park. A technically gifted playmaker, Hall has all the attributes needed to play for the Chelsea first-team in the near future.
With seven goals and eight assists in 30 games, academy football is too easy for the 17-year-old, and a loan move is needed. If, of course, Chelsea can convince him to stay.
Levi Colwill
A slightly more well-known name, Levi Colwill has been crushing it on loan at Huddersfield this year.
He has already captained England's U19 side, and has been linked with a return to the Chelsea first-team when Rudiger, Christensen and Azpilicueta depart.
However, if a new owner comes in and settles things, big money may be spent, and if Colwill isn't convinced to stay, like Valentino Livramento and Marc Guehi last summer, then he may be makeweight in big moves for Aurelien Tchouameni or Jules Kounde.
If Chelsea's current financial situation continues then Colwill may well get a chance in the first-team, but given his form, that seems the only way to keep hold of him.
Faustino Anjorin
Faustino Anjorin has been on the verge of breaking through at Chelsea for a while now. He was handed his debut under Frank Lampard before the first COVID lockdown hit, but never made the regular step up.
Under Thomas Tuchel, chances were hard to come by, and he ended up on loan at Lokomotiv Moscow at the start of this season. That spell ended, and he's now at Huddersfield until the end of the campaign, but aged 20 he is losing time to make his mark at Chelsea.
A supreme performer at youth level, Anjorin has been far too good for academy football for a while, but he may be tempted by a fresh start given the situation at Chelsea and his lack of opportunities at the club. He needs first-team football, and it may not be at Chelsea; the sanctions placed on Abramovich may also accelerate his departure.
