Youth & Reserves

With a month between competitive reserve fixtures and an Under-17 friendly cancelled at the last minute, Chelsea’s academy staff arranged some much-needed playing time for their players this week in the form of a mixed youth and reserve team friendly match at Cobham. Dermot Drummy’s reserve team haven’t played since the last week of August when Blackburn Rovers held them to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, and whilst Adie…

Chelsea’s young Croatian goalkeeper Matej Delač has joined Czech top flight side Dynamo České Budějovice on loan until the end of the season. The club announced the move on their official website this morning. Delač, who spent the duration of last season kicking his heels on the substitutes bench at Vitesse Arnhem, joins a club which has had a terrible start to the season, collecting just one point from six…

Chelsea’s young midfielder Billy Clifford yesterday signed a new four-year deal to keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2015. The versatile 18 year-old, who can also play at full-back, put pen to paper on a deal which will extend his career at a club he has been at since the age of eight. Clifford was one of four youngsters who went on the first team tour of Asia and has…

The Chelsea Football Club Academy. Lauded as often as it is criticised and subject to great investment for over half a decade, it attracts much attention and sparks much debate amongst Blues fans, neutrals and pundits alike. At the end of a transfer window which has seen many of the club’s young generation fly the nest to take the next step in their careers, the question of when Chelsea will…

After months of summer speculation it appears that 16 year-old Czech striker Dominik Mašek is finally set to complete a move to London and join Chelsea’s academy. Back in March we brought you news of the Blues’ interest in the talented left-footed forward, but after featuring at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Mexico, his predicted arrival at Cobham failed to materialise. Instead, he was given the number 10 shirt…

Chelsea’s first win of the 2011-12 academy league season came in style as a second half hat-trick from schoolboy substitute Alex Kiwomya helped the Blues to a 6-2 victory over Birmingham City Anjur Osmanovic had given the hosts an early lead but sloppy defending allowed the visitors to turn the game around. Adie Viveash’s boys scored five unanswered goals in response to record an emphatic win. Viveash was able to…

On what was one of the busier August transfer deadline days in recent years, Chelsea played their part, with one in and one out at first team level, but also with three young players departing on loan to continue their footballing development. However, the headlines may be made by those who didn’t find new homes and instead remain at Stamford Bridge. Beginning with those that did, and the widely expected…

Breaking news on this transfer deadline day evening is that Patrick van Aanholt will spend the 2011-12 season on loan at Premier League club Wigan Athletic. The player himself revealed the news on Twitter and is set to join up with Roberto Martinez’s team this week. Van Aanholt, who turned 21 on Monday, has had three spells in The Championship but his only taste of top-flight football to date has…

Chelsea’s 100% start to the Barclays Premier Reserve League season came to an end at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Blackburn Rovers in a repeat of last year’s national final. Jacob Mellis’ first-half opener had the Blues deservedly ahead at half time but a much improved Rovers responded in the second half and took a share of the spoils through Jackson…