Chelsea are back in pre-season and gearing up for their first campaign under new manager Enzo Maresca.
While the constant changing of manager doesn’t do much in terms of stability, what it does provide is a blank slate for players of any age who are looking to make an impact and improve their standing in the squad.
With a trip to the United States just around the corner, here are five young players fans should keep an eye on.
Age: 18
Position: Winger
While Chelsea were busy splashing out on Estevao Willian, they had a homegrown winger making serious noise in the academy.
18-year-old Tyrique George, who is usually deployed as a right-footed left winger, racked up nine goals and six assists in just 13 Under-18 Premier League appearances last year and flashed the sort of intelligence that suggests he is ready to play regularly at a higher level.
Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling are Chelsea’s primary options in the senior squad, but with both players struggling to impress, there could be opportunities for George this summer and beyond.
Age: 18
Position: Right-back/centre-back
Reece James, Tariq Lamptey, Tino Livramento – if there’s one thing Chelsea’s academy knows about, it’s right-backs.
Next off the production line is the towering Josh Acheampong who, at over 6ft tall, has also been given plenty of experience at centre-back. He’s an ideal inverted full-back candidate and could slot into Maresca’s squad quite easily.
Chelsea fans got their first glimpse of Acheampong last season when he made his well-earned senior debut in May’s 2-0 win over Tottenham, but there should be plenty more opportunities in the coming weeks.
Age: 18
Position: Left-back/centre-back
While Chelsea have a rich history of producing right-backs, left-back is an area in which the academy has struggled in recent years, so the Blues moved to rectify that by the addition of Ishe Samuels-Smith from Everton in 2023.
Like Acheampong, Samuels-Smith is a technically gifted full-back whose sizeable frame has seen him deployed at centre-back, although he perhaps does not have the height usually needed to play centrally in senior football.
With Maresca known to favour inverted full-backs over traditional options like Ben Chilwell, there could be a real chance for Samuels-Smith to make an impact on the new boss.
Age: 17
Position: Midfielder
Chelsea were delighted to lure midfielder Kiano Dyer over from West Bromwich Albion in 2021, and anyone who has followed his development since will understand exactly why.
Dyer was a regular for the Under-21 side last season despite only turning 17 in November, playing a disciplined role in midfield against players often four years older than him. He even caught Mauricio Pochettino’s eye and spent four games on the bench for the senior side towards the end of last season.
It is perhaps too soon for Dyer to be a regular part of the senior squad, but the 17-year-old is already punching well above his weight and showing exactly why he is rated as one of the best midfielders in England at his age.
Age: 21
Position: Centre-back
There is arguably no centre-back at Chelsea better suited to Maresca’s methods than Bashir Humphreys.
The 21-year-old is almost freakishly two-footed and incredibly comfortable with the ball at his feet which, considering Maresca is big on playing out from the back and breaking the lines with smart passes, could help him catch the eye.
Chelsea obviously don’t need more centre-backs, but Humphreys could easily stand out this summer and play his way into Maresca’s thinking.
