Chelsea's academy has produced some great players for the club over the years.
Take John Terry, for example, who made 717 appearances for the Blues between 1998 and 2017, and is widely regarded as one of the Premier League's greatest-ever defenders.
Or Conor Gallagher, who before joining Atletico Madrid, helped the Chelsea win the 2018/19 Europa League.
Other notable academy products include Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Ryan Bertrand, Reece James, and Levi Colwill – all of whom enjoyed, or are still enjoying, solid careers in West London.
Not every player who plays in Chelsea's academy, however, goes on to make an impact at Stamford Bridge. Some, in fact, vanish without a trace, leaving you wondering whether they ever really played for the Blues at all.
With that being said, here are 10 players you may not have known came through Chelsea's academy.
Eddie Nketiah
Eddie Nketiah graduated from Arsenal's academy back in 2017, and went to make 168 appearances for the Gunners before moving to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2024. Prior to playing for Arsenal, however, the English striker was part of Chelsea's academy, where he spent seven years before being released.
Speaking to the press after receiving his first-ever England call up in 2023, Nketiah said that being let go by Chelsea as a youngster has motivated him throughout his career.
"It gives you an awakening knowing that things can change like that – that you can lose everything you have worked for," he explained. "It gives you that extra motivation and resilience when times are hard."
Jack Cork
Jack Cork joined Chelsea's academy at the age of nine and went on to sign his first professional contract with the club in 2009.
He never made a competitive appearance for the Blues, however, spending seven years out on-loan with Bournemouth, Scunthorpe, Southampton, Watford, Coventry City, and Burnley, before eventually joining Southampton permanently in 2011.
Cork told Sky Sports in 2020 that he was "gutted" to have never played for Chelsea.
"I was a ball boy there since about eight or nine, I used to go to all the games and would have loved to have played for them," he said. "But I got the chance to play there eventually with a lot of other clubs and it just as special doing that."
Muzzy Izzet
Leicester City legend Muzzy Izzet made a name for himself in the East Midlands for his silky skills and teeing up his Foxes teammates for fun – something he did no less than 14 times during the 2003/04 season.
The Turk, however, was moulded at Chelsea, spending three years in the club's academy as a schoolboy.
Izzet also played for Senrab FC – the famed Sunday League football club based in Forest Gate, London, which is noted for the high number of professional players who have played for them, including Chelsea legends John Terry and Ray Wilkins.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson
Born in Reykjavík, Iceland, Johann Berg Gudmundsson began his career in his home country with multi-sports club Breidablik.
After his family relocated to London when he was 14, he then joined Chelsea's academy after a trial was set up by Eidur Gudjohnsen’s father, Arnor. After just a couple of months, however, he was let go and moved to neighbours Fulham.
In 2008, Gudmundsson then decided to move back to Iceland and rejoin Breidablik, for whom he made his professional debut soon after. Since, he's played in the Netherlands for AZ Alkmaar; in Saudi Arabia for Al-Orobah; and back in England for both Charlton Athletic and Burnley.
Declan Rice
Declan Rice spent seven years in Chelsea's academy before being released at age 14, after which he joined West Ham United's youth set-up.
He went on to make almost 250 appearances for the Hammers, establishing himself as one of the Premier League's finest holding midfielders, prompting Arsenal to then fork out a club record £100 million on him in the summer of 2023.
During an appearance on William Hill's No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, former Chelsea midfielder and assistant manager Jody Morris revealed that Rice had wanted to rejoin Chelsea before completing his big money move to The Emirates.
"We reached out to Declan on whether he'd want to come back and he said, 'I'm a Chelsea fan, of course I would!'" Morris recalled.
Gokhan Tore
Gokhan Tore is best remembered in England for his failed loan spell at West Ham United in 2016, which, due to injury, saw him make just six starts for the club before being shipped back to Besiktas. What many don't remember, and for good reason, is that the former Turkey international was also once a Chelsea player. Tore was signed to Chelsea's academy in 2009 from Bayern Leverkusen, but the closest he ever came to first-team action was in July 2010, when he replaced Daniel Sturridge as a late substitute in a pre-season game against Crystal Palace.
Chris Mepham
Chris Mepham joined Chelsea when he was just 10 years old and went on to spend four years in the club's academy before moving to Brentford, and later Bournemouth.
Speaking with the Cherries' official website, per the Bournemouth Echo, in 2021, Mepham credited his time at Chelsea for giving him a "platform to go on."
“It’s a period of my life I really enjoyed. I made some strong friendships there," he said, adding: "I came through with Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount was in the year below and I know him. There were a few I know, the Chelsea academy always produces quality players.”
Ola Aina
A boyhood Chelsea fan, Ola Aina joined the Blues' academy as an under-11.
After starring player for the club's various youth teams, he was handed his first-team debut by Antonio Conte in 2019 in an EFL Cup game against Bristol Rovers – a moment he described as a "dream come true."
Sadly for the full-back, his time in Chelsea's first-team was as over in a flash as he was sold to Italian club Torino after making just five more appearances.
Aina later moved back to the Premier League, first with Fulham, and then Nottingham Forest.
Marc Guehi
Before he went on to become one of the Premier League's finest centre-backs and a star for the England national team, Marc Guehi was a Blue.
Joining Chelsea when he was just seven years old, Guehi captained a number of the club's youth teams before being promoted to the first-team in 2019. Two years and just two appearances later, however, he moved to Crystal Palace.
Speaking about his decision to leave his boyhood club, Guehi said it was "difficult," but that he felt like it was the right time to go.
“It is a good opportunity to play regular football at such a high level in the Premier League to test myself and see how far I can go to improve my way," he said at the time.
Michael Olise
Michael Olise didn't just spend time in Chelsea's academy as a youngster, but also in the academies of both Arsenal and Manchester City.
All three clubs let him go, however.
Reading were the club that eventually gave him his shot at the big time, and after just two years with the Royals, he was snapped by Crystal Palace. In three seasons at Selhurst Park, he would establish himself as one of the Premier League's best wingers, prompting both City and Chelsea reportedly tabling bids to re-sign him in 2024.
The Frenchman instead chose to move to Germany with Bayern Munich, leaving both City and Chelsea to rue their mistakes of the past.
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