Chelsea have come a long way since Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003. The Blues have produced some of the best talent is world football and have won eleven important titles in a decade, Manchester United are the only other British club to achieve this feat. This is a list of four youngsters who are set to make an impact on the club for years to come.
The young Belgian is certain to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The 21-year-old was signed by Chelsea from Genk, where he won the Goalkeeper Of the Year award along with keeping 14 clean sheets. The stopper was loaned to Spanish club Atletico Madrid to gain more first team experience and set a record of 820 minutes without conceding a goal in his first season. Courtois’s loan was extended until 2014 and he has become a key factor in Atletico’s success this season. Atletico managed to overcome cross-town rivals Real Madrid after 14 years and Courtois received the Man of the Match award for his role in the 2-1 victory. If Chelsea can keep Courtois out of the clutches of other big clubs then they have a ready-made replacement for Petr Cech.
Nathaniel Chalobah
A youth product of Chelsea, Chaobah has emerged as a top talent to emerge from Stamford Bridge. The 18-year-old was a key part of the Chelsea youth squads that won the FA Youth Cups in 2010 and 2012 and was instrumental for England in their Under-17 Football Championship triumph. The youngster was loaned out to Watford last season and scored 5 goals, helping them reach the championship play-offs where they lost to Crystal Palace 1-0. 2013 saw him go to Nottingham Forest, where he has already scored 1 goal. The England international is extremely versatile and can operate as a defender and a midfielder, making him a valuable asset for Chelsea in the future.
The youngster joins the long line of South American talent present at Chelsea and is sure to make a huge impact for the London club in the future. The 19-year-old is currently enjoying an extremely fruitful spell at Dutch club Vitesse and has scored 5 goals in seven games. The youngster has everything ranging from excellent free-kicks to accurate penalty taking abilities and is gifted with great passing abilities. Piazon can operate as a striker or attacking midfielder and could solve the problems Chelsea are facing up front in the near future. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is sure to make Piazon a first-team regular when he returns from the Netherlands.
Big things are expected out of this youngster who just cannot stop scoring goals wherever he goes. The 20-year-old was bought by Chelsea from Anderlecht in 2011 for £18 million and has done everything to justify the price tag. 2012 saw Lukaku go out on loan to West Bromwich Albion, where he scored important goals against Liverpool and a hat-trick against Manchester United and finished as the Premier Leagues sixth highest top scorer. Everton took Lukaku on loan for the 2013-2014 season and he has scored 5 goals in as many appearances for the Toffees. The future looks bright for the Belgian and is sure to fill the void left by Blues great Didier Drogba.