It is fair to say that Jose Mourinho had high hopes for a few Chelsea youngsters during his second spell at Stamford Bridge.
Across both of his stints as Chelsea manager, Mourinho got to work with some of England’s best players.
John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole are just three names, and the Special One backed a trio of academy products to follow in their footsteps.
One of his predictions was right; the other two were not even close…
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in dugout
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Jose Mourinho backed Lewis Baker, Izzy Brown and Dominic Solanke to all become England internationals
The three youngsters in question were Lewis Baker, Izzy Brown and Dominic Solanke, who were all at Chelsea at the time.
Given their talent, Mourinho felt he had a responsibility to make the three Chelsea academy stars England internationals.
“My conscience tells me that if, for example, Baker, Brown and Solanke are not national team players in a few years, I should blame myself,” the Portuguese was quoted as saying by the FA’s official website back in 2014.
“They are part of a process the club started without me. In this moment, we have players who will be Chelsea players. And when they become Chelsea players, they will become England players, almost for sure.”
In the end, though, only Solanke went on to play for the Three Lions, and that happened only after he had left Chelsea for Liverpool.
Brown and Baker never got there, making it only as far as the England Under-20 and Under-21 sides.
Out of the three, Solanke is also the only one to have any real success in the Premier League. In total, the 28-year-old has made 163 appearances in the competition and scored 38 goals.
Player Premier League games Goals
Dominic Solanke 163 38
Lewis Baker 0 0
Izzy Brown 15 0
Before leaving Bournemouth in 2024, Solanke was actually linked with a return to Chelsea. He made just one senior appearance for them before joining Liverpool in 2017.
Chelsea players at pre-season camp
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Where are Lewis Baker, Izzy Brown and Dominic Solanke now?
Solanke has not played for England since last November and only has three caps for the Three Lions, but he is still plying his trade in the Premier League, now representing Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
As for Baker, he is currently in the Championship with Stoke City, trying to help Mark Robins’ side win promotion.
Finally, because of injuries, Brown is no longer playing football, retiring in 2023 at the age of just 26.