5 BEST Wonderkids in the Chelsea Academy

The Chelsea youth academy is arguably the best in the world. No end of top stars in world football made their start there – today, we’re going to look at five of the best young players currently learning their trade at Stamford Bridge.

For context, we will only be looking at players who have yet to be included in a Premier League starting lineup in this list. We also won’t be including Omari Kellyman – we consider him a senior player at this point.

We have already taken a look at the five best players in Arsenal’s youth academy. Today, it is Chelsea’s turn – who are your picks for this list?

Ryan Kavuma-McQueen

Ryan Kavuma-McQueen’s scoring record at youth level is simply phenomenal. He has won six caps for England’s U17s, scoring eight goals in those sextet of appearances.

Even more amazingly, he isn’t even a striker. He primarily plays as a right-winger, but can also function on the left or as an attacking midfielder.

At the age of 17, Kavuma-McQueen has a glittering future in the sport. He has already played for the senior team, when they took on Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-finals last season.

Yisa Alao

A technically-skilled full-back with an excellent defensive acumen, 17-year-old Yisa Alao could well be part of a future England backline.

Technically, he came up through Sheffield Wednesday’s youth academy, but was sold to Chelsea in January to alleviate their financial woes.

A fast, powerful defender who is already a key player for England’s U18s squad, Alao has all the attributes to succeed in the modern game.

Reggie Watson

Sadly, Reggie Watson was the only player on this list for whom we couldn’t find an image. This isn’t a commentary on his ability – far from it. At 16 years of age, he is an absolute superstar in the making.

The son of former FA Cup winner Ben Watson, he already is an intelligent, hard-working midfielder who possesses wicked set-piece taking ability.

Again, he didn’t make his start at Chelsea, having initially cut his teeth in Crystal Palace’s youth ranks, but the Blues snapped him up in 2024.

Reggie Walsh

A force to be reckoned with in the U18 Premier League last season, Reggie Walsh resembles a young Frank Lampard in several ways.

A natural goalscorer from attacking midfield, he found the back of the net on seven occasions in eight games for Chelsea’s U18s team last season.

He was also impressive upon his promotion to their U21s team, scoring three goals and racking up six assists over the course of 15 appearances.

Shim Mheuka

Out of all of the exciting young talents in this list, Shim Mheuka might be the best of the lot. Could he be the next Didier Drogba? He certainly has the potential.

A powerful, gifted centre-forward with excellent movement and pinpoint finishing, he scored 17 goals in 17 games for Chelsea’s U21s in the Premier League 2 last season.

He has already made a pair of Premier League appearances for Chelsea, both from the bench – it is clear that the Blues already recognise his emerging brilliance.