Chelsea not only lost to Manchester City in the 2020 FA Youth Cup final, they also had a glimpse of their own future within the opposition ranks.
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So much so that Chelsea’s first-team squad in the new season could contain twice as many players who graduated from City’s academy as have come through their own system.
The latest addition is club record £117m signing Morgan Rogers, who scored against the Blues’ Under-18s that night six years ago.
Fellow City academy graduate Cole Palmer was also on target in City’s 3-2 victory at St George’s Park, while Liam Delap led the line.
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In addition, new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso’s squad features Romeo Lavia, Jamie Gittens and Tosin Adarabioyo, all of whom also came through City’s youth system.
Together with Rogers, Palmer and Delap, the six players account for almost £300m in transfer fees paid by Chelsea since 2023.
By contrast, Alonso is only likely to have three permanent members of his senior squad who came through Chelsea’s Cobham academy: Levi Colwill, who played in that defeat, captain Reece James and defender Josh Acheampong.
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Trevoh Chalobah also remains a Chelsea player but is in advanced talks over a move to Serie A side Como.
There are several reasons for Chelsea’s interest in players developed from City, but one is the success of Palmer, who moved between the clubs in 2023 for £40m plus £2.5m in add-ons and has become one of the Premier League’s standout performers.
One former insider told BBC Sport that anyone who comes from City “knows what good looks like”. Another factor is Joe Shields, who worked in City’s academy recruitment department and is now involved in both youth and senior recruitment at Stamford Bridge. Other clubs also have ex-Manchester City employees, including Manchester United with senior leaders Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox.
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