As 2015 draws to a close it’s appropriate to look back at what has been, even by their own lofty standards, an exceptional year for the academy at Chelsea Football Club. They retained the FA Youth Cup – a fourth such success in six years – won the UEFA Youth League and added several more first-team debuts to their recent production line. Here’s a quick month-by-month rundown with some great…
It’s an abridged version of the Loan Report this week with plenty of players enjoying Christmas at home and, unfortunately, we lead with two red cards. Headliners The first of those went to Nathan Aké who, having been restored to the Watford team to face Tottenham Hotspur on Monday after being ineligible to face Chelsea, was shown a straight red just after the hour. It was for a high challenge…
We’ve reached the nominal halfway mark of the 2015-16 season; many European leagues have now embarked upon their winter break and there are no more matches to be played before Christmas in England. It’s therefore the most appropriate time to bring you the (now seemingly traditional) first comprehensive and exclusive look at every goal scored by Chelsea’s substantial group of loanees so far this campaign. http://vimeo.com/149775178 The goals have been…
Chelsea’s Under-21s signed off for 2015 with a narrow and hard-fought 1-0 win over Middlesbrough at Cobham on Monday night. Both sides came into the match at the wrong end of the Barclays Under-21 Premier League table and the damage was done early on as Kasey Palmer’s ninth goal of the season proved enough to keep the three points down South and bring the Blues level on points with the…
The last Loan Report before Christmas comes laden with goodies in the form of four more goals to bring you this week. Headliners The first of them was scored on Wednesday night by Brentford’s John Swift. He came off the bench away to Cardiff in midweek to score another very ‘Lampard-esque’ goal to bring the Bees level at 2-2 late in the game, only for them to then concede at…
Chelsea’s Under-18s ended a wonderful 2015 by extending their unbeaten run to twelve matches in all competitions courtesy of a last-minute equaliser away to Brighton on Saturday. In a tightly-fought and often fractious pre-Christmas fixture, Iké Ugbo gave the Blues the lead from the penalty spot early in the second half only for Brighton to turn things around. Daniel Mandriou struck an equaliser and Jordan Maguire-Drew looked to have won…
Chelsea are off and running in the defence of their FA Youth Cup crown as they swept aside a dogged Huddersfield Town 6-1 at Aldershot’s EBB Stadium on Wednesday night. The Blues are seeking to become the first team in sixty years to win three successive Youth Cup titles and kicked off this year’s campaign with a win that was hard-fought at times but wholly deserved. Tammy Abraham continued his…
The FA Youth Cup returns in earnest this Wednesday as Chelsea begin the defence of their crown once again and, having won both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 editions, are seeking to become the first club to win three in a row since Manchester United claimed five in a row at the competition’s inception in the early 1950s. It promises to be a tough ask, not least because a considerable number…
Nathaniel Chalobah celebrated his 21st birthday this week with his first Napoli goal. It’s therefore appropriate to kick off our Loan Report with a look at that in the first of an Italian double-header. Headliners The young midfielder – yes, he’s still young – hasn’t had much of a look-in during his time at Naples, with just one start in the Europa League to his name alongside a five-minute cameo…
Stipe Perica takes a rare step into the spotlight this week as the Loan Report’s solitary goalscorer, but the last seven days have also been largely positive for Chelsea’s army of talented young loanees. Headliners The young Croatian forward is approaching a year in Italy at Udinese after leaving Dutch side NAC Breda last January to embark upon an 18-month deal with the Zebretti, and it’s not been plain sailing…