TheChels.net – Chelsea FC Youth & Reserves
To still be unbeaten after four months of the season takes courage, toughness and no little agility. That both Chelsea and Fulham started and finished Saturday without a league defeat to their names in 2019-20 is testament to the character in the respective squads, and the 2-2 final score at Cobham in this latest reprisal of their West London derby was about right on balance. Certainly, both teams will feel…
With the last international break of 2019 firmly in the rear view mirror, the Loan Report is back to check in on Chelsea’s far-flung charges, with Iké Ugbo and Conor Gallagher taking centre stage as they have for most of the season. Headliners Gallagher has been outstanding in his first four months in senior football, starring for Charlton Athletic in England’s second tier, and shining bright when the spotlight is…
Chelsea completed a 100% group stage in the Under-18 Premier League Cup, and qualified for the Quarter Finals, after beating Arsenal 2-1 at Cobham on Saturday. First half goals from Armando Broja and Sam Iling Jr, the latter with his first at this level, proved enough for Ed Brand’s unbeaten boys, despite a late comeback from the visitors that saw Daniel Oyegoke reduce the deficit to no avail. It wasn’t…
When Frank Lampard unveiled his backroom team at Chelsea in July, it wasn’t quite the culmination of a generation’s work at the club’s Cobham academy, but it certainly felt like it. For, as much as a youth development programme is primarily about producing talent on the pitch, the Blues have been especially prolific in helping to bring through the coaching talent of tomorrow as well as the playing. Jody Morris,…
Mario Pašalić announced himself on the Champions League stage this week while Iké Ugbo carried on his prolific form in the Netherlands. Let’s get into the latest Loan Report. Headliners Pašalić’s second season with Atalanta has been a bit of a slow burner in terms of substantial performances; playing regular minutes in the midfield rotation, he’s an entirely reliable and capable option, but has added goals back into his game…
For forty-five minutes of this Under-18 Premier League London derby, Chelsea were untouchable. A relentless blue tide swept everything before it as Tottenham were powerless to resist. A goal up inside a minute, four inside half an hour, and 5-0 by half time; it was as good a team performance as you’ll see anywhere all season, which is why the final score might have left some Chelsea players dejected when…
Every now and then, someone comes along and takes centre stage in the Loan Report without having really made a significant impact earlier in the season. This week, Kenedy does just that, scoring his first goal for Getafe in an otherwise quiet seven days on the Loan Army front. Headliners Kenedy has actually had a fairly good time of it in Spain so far; earning regular Europa League minutes to…
It hasn’t been the easiest week for Chelsea’s Development Squad. A lengthy trip North last weekend to play Everton was all for nothing, as the match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, but they were back on the road again three days later for a 450-mile round trip to Plymouth and back in the EFL Trophy. A last-gasp winner from Jon Russell made the return journey from Devon all…
Chelsea won the Premier League’s Under-16 International Tournament a few weeks ago, besting Manchester City in a Final that not only cemented the club’s place as the foremost academy in the country, but also ensured they held the same title at every age group down to Under-13, the lowest the league goes to in that competition. The form of some of the chief architects of that win demanded greater tests…
Iké Ugbo and Mario Pašalić brought the goals this week in another productive seven days for the Loan Army. Headliners Ugbo wasn’t initially credited with Roda’s opening goal in Friday’s 4-2 win over NAC Breda, as it appeared to belong to Roland Alberg, but closer inspection showed that Ugbo got the slightest of touches to it. As a striker, and as someone challenging for the golden boot, he was certain…