Introducing the 2013-14 Chelsea Academy Scholars

July 6, 2013

It barely seems like it was yesterday that were welcoming last season’s crop of first year scholars to Chelsea, but it’s that time of year where another crop of 16 year-olds ‘officially’ begin their full-time education at Cobham as prospective young footballers. ‘Officially’ is something of a misnomer though, since many of the group have been at the training ground day in and day out for the last year or…

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Chelsea Set To Complete Izzy Brown Deal

July 5, 2013

Chelsea will shortly complete the signing of 16 year-old forward Isaiah ‘Izzy’ Brown from West Bromwich Albion after the finer details of the move were finalised on Friday. The Blues have held a long-standing interest in the Peterborough-born youngster but only accelerated the process of signing the England youth international in recent weeks. Perhaps spurred into action by his ascent into professional football and the potential of losing him to…

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Nine Youngsters Sign First Professional Contracts

July 3, 2013

With Chelsea’s youngsters returning to Cobham for pre-season training this week, a slew of talented up-and-comers took the time to sit down and put pen to paper on their first professional contracts. A highly-rated crop who reached the FA Youth Cup and NextGen Series Finals in their debut campaign as scholars, they have taken the next step by both being rewarded for their excellent progress as well as committing their…

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On Bertrand Traore (And Others…)

July 1, 2013

The wider world of football scouting often throws up complicated situations which don’t quite fall into the usual well-defined paths we tend to expect. As Chelsea, like many other elite clubs, seek to gain a competitive advantage by casting their net far and wide, they have invariably stumbled upon a couple of these situations, and whilst the names involved may be familiar to some, the circumstances are somewhat more uncertain….

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Ten Years of The Roman Empire

June 30, 2013

“We are delighted to agree this deal to acquire what is already one of the top clubs in Europe. We have the resources and ambition to achieve even more given the huge potential of this great club.” (Roman Abramovich, 1st July 2003) “I want to know whether this individual is a fit and proper person to be taking over a club like Chelsea. Until that question is answered, then I’m…

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Five for a First Time Loan

June 26, 2013

Chelsea have been swift in getting the ball rolling on the loan front ahead of the 2013-14 season, with moves already secured for Thibaut Courtois, George Saville and Todd Kane announced this week. With well over thirty different players taking in a temporary experience elsewhere last season, it’s a central part of the development process at the club and whilst many of those are likely to embark upon a now…

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Mourinho ‘To Give Youngsters A Chance’

June 22, 2013

By now you’ll likely have seen news emerge that Jose Mourinho is said to have sought out comprehensive coverage of those plying their (admittedly youthful) trade on the other side of the road from the first team building at Cobham. The Special One is said to have taken a keener interest than expected in some of the Blues’ budding young footballers with a view to integrating some of them in…

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Loanee Statistics 2012-13

June 9, 2013

Having recapped the tale of every single one of Chelsea’s considerable list of players sent out on loan during the 2012-13 campaign, all that’s left to do this season is to detail their respective end of term statistics. [table class=”table table-striped”] Player,Club(s),Country,Apps,Goals,Assists,Clean Sheets Amin Affane,Roda JC,Netherlands,16,1,5,- Patrick Bamford,MK Dons,England,14,4,0,- Jeffrey Bruma,Hamburg,Germany,18,1,1,- Nathaniel Chalobah,Watford,England,42,5,0,- Billy Clifford,Colchester,England,18,1,3,- Thibaut Courtois,Atlético Madrid,Spain,44,0,-,23 Cristian Cuevas,O’Higgins,Chile,7,0,0,- Ulises Dávila,Sabadell,Spain,38,5,2,- Kevin De Bruyne,Werder Bremen,Germany,34,10,9,- Matej Delac,Vitória SC/Inter Zapresic,Portugal/Croatia,17,0,-,4…

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Return of The Special One

June 8, 2013

The Church of SS Giovanni e Paolo in Venice was founded in 1246 when Doge Jacopo Tiepolo donated some swamp land to the Dominican Brothers after dreaming of a flock of white doves flying over it. The first church was demolished in 1333, when construction on the current church began. It was not completed until 1430. One of the largest churches in the city, it has the status of a…

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Loanee Review: Jhon Pírez

June 7, 2013

To round up the 2012-13 youth football season at Chelsea, we’re reviewing every single one of the Chelsea youngsters currently on the books who have spent time out on loan during the campaign. Here, we focus on Jhon Pírez. Club: Leganés (Spain) Appearances: 10 (2 goals) The Story The Jhon Pírez story took an unexpected turn this past season when it transpired that not only did he actually exist, but…

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