Reflections On The 2022-23 Chelsea Academy Season
In the last few editions of these summaries, I?ve made a point of noting how long it?s been since the academy won the FA Youth Cup or dominated in the silverware department. After another campaign without a trophy at Under-18, 19 or 21 levels, it would be easy to do that. With each passing year, though, it becomes less relevant; an inaccurate barometer of where Chelsea find themselves right now.
For, while seeking to emulate the likes of Reece James, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja and all of those who?ve departed is genuine and admirable, the landscape in 2023 is different to 2018, which was in turn different to 2013. This is a Chelsea academy operating under an ownership approaching the end of their first full year in charge, an academy having undergone structural change at the highest level, coaching reshuffles at all age groups, and recruitment rethinks in more competitive markets than ever before. It really is a brave new world, for better or worse. The headlines in terms of performances on the pitch offer genuine room for positivity; the Development Squad bounced back from avoiding relegation in the last five minutes of the 21-22 season and mounted a stronger PL2 title challenge than the final league standings reflect. They reached the last sixteen of the EFL Trophy for the second year running, and there were senior debuts for Omari Hutchinson and Bashir Humphreys on top of the emergence of Lewis Hall either side of the...
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