Chelsea not feeding from the fruits of their youth system

Cast out. Michael Mancienne has gone to Hamburg after only four first team appearances for Chelsea despite starting with the club in 1995


Given the short term success and massive transfer fees for star players – many forget that Roman Abramovich’s millions have also done a world of good for Chelsea’s youth system. The sad thing is the club are not making the most of this young talent.

His money paid for the state-of-the-art training facility at Cobham which has not just benefited the first team but also youngsters trying to make a name for themselves. They are doing that, but at smaller clubs where they are loaned out before deciding to move on permanently with no imprint on the Stamford Bridge set up.

The acquisition of Frank Arnesen from Tottenham did wonders for Chelsea’s youth development, his expertise helped bring in attractive young players from abroad and nurtured the home-grown talent, but the club are already feeling the effects of his departure to Hamburg and with no first team coach to act as a mentor, it is the young blood that will suffer.

Michael Mancienne is a prime example. Coming through the ranks with Chelsea’s youth team and reserves, he earned an England call up without a first-team appearance. But Mancienne spent more time on loan at Queen’s Park Rangers and Wolverhampton Wanderers than at Stamford Bridge and he has now left with Arnesen to Germany with only four Chelsea appearances to his name, but remains an integral part of England’s Under 21 squad.

When you look at that squad in Denmark for the European Championships, there are others that have similar stories. Scott Sinclair came to Chelsea from Bristol Rovers at 16 and was being touted as a major emerging talent. But he was constantly shipped out on loan before feeling so disassociated with the club he left permanently, to Swansea City with former Chelsea reserve team boss Brendan Rodgers. After a hat-trick in the playoff final he will have a chance to terrorise his former employers in the Premier League next season.

His international team mate Jack Cork must feel the same way. He has over 50 first team appearances on loan at Burnley and is an integral part of the team there. He has hinted to a return to Turf Moor as he feels he has unfinished business there. Defender Ryan Bertrand will also return to Chelsea after four years in the Championship and may find it difficult to adjust.

This is the case with Chelsea’s young foreign talent brought in by Arnesen as well. Patrick van Aanholt, Fabio Borini, Gael Kakuta and Jeffry Bruma were all loaned out but will need to return to the fold to really feel part of the Chelsea set up in the future.

Of course it makes sense to loan out young players. They are not going to push the likes of Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba out of a team trying to win every competition they enter so this gives them a chance of competitive first team football. But there is a balance otherwise the players are left wondering if their chance will ever come. Danny Sturridge set his stall out with his loan move to Bolton to make way for Fernando Torres in January, with eight goals in 12 games, but whether that will benefit Chelsea with goals or a big transfer fee, we don’t know yet.

Chelsea are aiming to be self sufficient so producing the next John Terry, the only real Chelsea product turned superstar, is an integral part of that. But to do that they have to make the youngsters think they have a realistic chance of making the first team.

The last manger Carlo Ancelotti got it right with 18-year-old midfielder Josh McEachran. The Italian gave him nine appearances for the Blues which gave him a chance to mix it with the big boys and show his potential. But he is one of dozens of emerging talents and he may not be the favourite of the next manager that comes in. McEachran is at least showing signs of being a Premier League superstar with his reported celebrity girlfriend, Coronation Street’s Brooke Vincent.

A constant change of manager gives the club no stability and while the Champions League is the top of Roman’s list, these young stars are not getting the mentors they need to succeed and benefit the club in the long run. We will have to wait and see what the next one does for them.

England calls for a delay in FIFA election, just 150 more to go . . .

Status quo. Blatter is set to continue as FIFA chief

Despite it being the top story on nearly all main British news programmes that both the English and Scottish FAs joined forces to delay the upcoming FIFA election – today’s news looks as though the election will go ahead as planned and the sole candidate, current president Sepp Blatter, will continue.

That is because the English and Scottish FAs hold as little weight in world football as the Kazakhstan or Azerbaijan FAs. It is all equal so these two are not going to make a difference.

For a delay in the election to go through, three quarters of the 208 nations that come under FIFA have to vote in favour, just the 150 something to go then.

Of course England wanted a delay in the hope that a new candidate, who has not been investigated for corruption, would stand. In their eyes Blatter and the current FIFA set up are responsible for the failed 2018 World Cup bid. Just as much as the likes of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan would be happy for Blatter to continue, not only do their low-profile leagues not care about an absence of goal-line technology but also under a Blatter regime, they may even get a sniff at hosting a World Cup like South Africa, Russia or Qatar.

Because England is one of the top football-playing nations in the world in terms of participation and support, if not international success, FIFA see them as a big-wig trying to gain all the power. Even Prince William said the election should be delayed, but only the British care.

For all FIFA’s corruption and wrongdoing, which is finally coming to the fore, they see themselves as an organisation standing up for the little guy and there are hundreds of these little guys not paying any attention to what is happening in Zurich.

This means we will have the status quo for a little while longer. England’s players will try and qualify for competitions in the back of beyond, every week managers and fans will complain at a decision that could have been easily resolved by technology and Blatter will laud in his power over the world’s most popular game.