Chelsea’s current youth squad(s) are some of the most successful in history. The under-18 side have featured in five of the last six youth cup finals, winning four of those. The management of Dermot Drummy and Adi Viveash has created a pool of players who are likely to be sprayed all across Europe over the next decade, yet Chelsea have been unable to cultivate any to be ready for their squad.

Any club who continues to win on such a regular basis must be producing players capable of Premier League football, but Chelsea have not seen any of these starlets truly come close to holding down a place as a member of the first-team squad. During the Abramovich era, there have been countless prospects who were destined for great things, one being Gael Kakuta who recently left for Sevilla after countless loans across Europe.

Kakuta is symbolic of the failings on Chelsea's part to develop players from superstars at 18 and below to anything of note by the time they reach 21 or 22. Their loan policy has been hugely beneficial in overcoming Financial Fair Play, but it has not seen any player progress to the first-team. Miroslav Stoch and Gokhan Tore are two more players who have played in European competition for their respective clubs around Europe. Chelsea, if anything, are at least running their academy like a formidable business.

The revenue generated each year in loan and transfer fees for players who have grown up at Cobham is remarkable and this may be the best defence of the supposed failings of the academy.

Josh McEachran was one of the more recent big hopefuls, but injury and management turmoil blocked any path to the first team for him after some appearances under Carlo Ancelotti. Now McEachran looks below par for his age group and has declined since his breakthrough to become a Championship player at best. The list of players who promised and failed at Chelsea is endless and is beginning to become unacceptable as their success in youth competitions across the board must be producing players capable of playing at the top. Notable mentions must go to Nathaniel Chalobah and Jeffrey Bruma who have also dropped far away from their projected career trajectory.

Mourinho, almost from day one has promised that this would change during his second spell at the club. Nathan Ake and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have had a few chances each this season and both impressed when given the opportunity. Previous managers may have argued that the hire-and-fire approach at Chelsea puts too much pressure on to risk playing unproven youngsters and if you, as a manager, are only going to be at the club for two years, it is not in your interest to invest in the future.

Chelsea are haunted, despite all their trophies. John Terry (who is nearing retirement) was their last academy graduate to nail down a squad place. The policy does not seem too intent on changing, as loan moves to Vitesse Arnhem flow and every Championship club has their own Chelsea loanee. Loftus-Cheek seems the only hope if Chelsea are to progress with any of this excellent generation.

Crucially, Patrick Bamford, Dominic Solanke and Izzy Brown could have been picked to fill the third striker berth vacated by Didier Drogba, but Chelsea have paid extortionate money for Radamel Falcao instead. This was the ideal opportunity for the club, from Emenalo to Drummy, to hand Bamford – the Championship Player of the Year – an opportunity to prove himself in the squad.

The failure to utilise the hugely successful, and expensive, academy could be another area for tension in Mourinho and Abramovich's relations. As the home-grown quota becomes harder to meet and external pressure grows for clubs to produce youth players, Chelsea have the opportunity to place faith in their youngsters and lead the way for other clubs. It is hard to know what more the youth teamers at Chelsea need to do to get their chance on the pitch with the first team.

Mourinho can talk in length about investing in the youth at Chelsea, but unless players like Loftus-Cheek are going to become fundamental members of the squad within the next two seasons, it is hard to take anything he says on the matter literally.

The loan of Lewis Baker to Vitesse is a worrying sign for any Chelsea fan hoping to see opportunities for their academy products.

[ad_pod id='ricco' align='center']