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#3 Josh McEachran
Chelsea had English midfielder Josh McEachran in their books for many years. The Englishman joined Chelsea as a seven-year-old and rose through the ranks to play for the first team. McEachran made his senior debut in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League win against MSK Zilina as a substitute for Yossi Benayoun in a 4-1 win.
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Manager Carlo Ancelotti showed his trust in the teenager, playing him 17 times in his first senior season at the club. McEachran was named Chelsea's Young Player of the Year in 2011.
He made a further five appearances for the club before he was frozen out by new manager Andre Villas-Boas. McEachran spent five seasons on loan before joining Brentford on a permanent deal in 2020. McEachran currently plays for MK Dons in League One.
#2 Islam Feruz
Scottish striker Islam Feruz was touted as the next big thing at Chelsea after he was poached from Celtic for around £300,000 as a teenager.
The Somalia-born striker was described by former teammate Celtic teammate Andrew Robertson as the star of the group. The striker always scored the most goals for his Celtic side and arrived in London as a highly-rated 16-year-old youngster.
Feruz scored twice in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup final in 2012 against Blackburn Rovers as Chelsea claimed the title for the second time in three years. He made his first team debut in a pre-season friendly against Malaysia XI in 2013 before signing a long-term contract in 2014.
Feruz spent the entirety of his contract on loan before being released by the club in January 2019. He retired from football in 2020 to set up a company that sells designer caps.
#1 Gael Kakuta
Gael Kakuta joined Chelsea from French side RC Lens in a controversial transfer that earned the club a fine and transfer ban, both of which were later overturned. Kakuta was named the Academy Player of the Year and Academy Scholar of the Year in the 2007/08 season, his first in England. He was also nominated for the 2010 Golden Boy award for his brilliance at youth level.
The winger made 16 senior appearances for Chelsea before going on several loans and eventually leaving the club for Sevilla in 2015. A promising start to his Chelsea and French age-grade careers quickly fizzled out.
Kakuta switched international allegiance to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2017, having represented France across several youth levels. Now 30 years old, Kakuta is on the books of RC Lens in the French Ligue 1 once again.
