It was always going to happen, but BlueCo’s approach to the transfer market over the last few seasons has blocked any realistic pathways into the senior team for Chelsea’s academy players.
It is something that BlueCo and Todd Boehly did not consider when taking over from Roman Abramovich back in 2022. The constant influx of young talent meant any chance of a Cobham breakthrough was tiny.
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Any chance of seeing another Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah, or even Josh Acheampong feels unlikely. Jesse Derry is the closest, and yet, Chelsea have six senior wingers. A Bola say Derry could join Sporting.
Ultimately, Chelsea have clogged the path into the first team, and it means current academy players know that if they have any chance of making it big at the senior level, it won’t be at Chelsea. Ask Arthur Barratt.
Arthur Barratt set to join Everton after decade at Chelsea
Back in 2016, Barratt joined Chelsea as a seven-year-old and has grown through the ranks at Cobham and is now at an age where he needs a realistic path into a senior side. At Chelsea, he simply won’t get that.
Not only are Chelsea pushing to sign Granit Xhaka, but the Blues have Romeo Lavia, Andrey Santos, Dario Essugo and even more returning from loans. Chelsea have no room for an academy player like Barratt.
According to Fabrizio Romano, it has forced Barratt into a big decision. Plenty of Premier League clubs were after the youngster, but Barratt has chosen to join David Moyes’ Everton this summer.
“Everton set to sign Chelsea academy product Arthur Barratt, fee agreed for a permanent transfer. Had interest from several other PL clubs, but Everton see him as an important investment in their strategy.”
Another Chelsea academy product may join Barratt at Everton
Barratt might not be the only Chelsea academy product to swap Cobham for Merseyside this summer. The youngster is expected to complete a deal in the coming days, but another may join this week, too.
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Tyrique George has been on loan at Everton since January. Another Blues product from the academy, having joined at just eight years old in 2014. He did make the breakthrough in the Conference League.
His lack of game time this season saw him join Everton on loan in January, and now he could make the move permanently. Reports say Everton could snap him up in a deal worth £25m as early as this week.
It is more proof that BlueCo have ruined their academy, clogging the line into the first team and it is convincing their young stars to leave West London for new clubs where senior football is more realistic.
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