Five Chelsea Youngsters Hoping for Breakout Seasons in 2026

The stranglehold Chelsea had over youth soccer in England has dissipated. Between 2010 and 2018, the Blues’ U-18s featured in eight of the nine FA Youth Cup finals, winning seven.

Cobham churned out talent like few on the continent, so much so that when the club was struck with a transfer ban at the start of Frank Lampard’s first stint as manager in 2019 (which related to youth recruitment breaches), Chelsea refused to sink.

Two years later, they were European champions. Academy graduates Mason Mount and Reece James started the Champions League final against Manchester City, while Callum Hudson-Odoi and Billy Gilmour were among the substitutes.

In the 2020s, the once-esteemed academy has undergone reconstruction and upheaval, with new ownership tilting the Blues in an alternate direction. Talent remains, but plenty enjoy prosperous careers away from west London.

The latest generation of starlets have reportedly taken new manager Xabi Alonso aback, and the World Cup has opened the door for Chelsea’s brightest teenagers to prosper at the start of the Spaniard’s reign.

Alonso has named a handful of academy players on his touring roster this summer, and the absence of so many senior stars means Chelsea’s youth will be leant upon in preseason.

Here are five youngsters who could enjoy breakout campaigns with Alonso’s Blues in 2026–27.

Olutayo Subuloye

Chelsea already have a potential superstar defender is Josh Acheampong, and there are similarly high hopes for 18-year-old Olutayo Subuloye, who’s one of seven academy players who’s gone on tour with the first team.

Subuloye signed his first professional contract in 2024 and was named captain of the U-18s for the 2025–26 campaign, leading his team to the national championship.

A tall center back who plays well beyond his years, Subuloye already boasts the maturity to prosper in the senior set-up. Those intimate with Chelsea’s academy have commended the defender’s athleticism, as well as his composure in possession.

The Blues have nurtured the likes of Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guéhi and Trevoh Chalobah in recent years, so they’ve got a knack for producing center backs who shine at the highest level.

Madhi Nicoll-Jazuli

Arsenal’s Max Dowman has given the phrase “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough” new meaning, so Alonso shouldn’t be dissuaded by 16-year-old Madhi Nicoll-Jazuli.

The midfielder committed his future to Chelsea this summer amid interest from leading European clubs, and is expected to sign a professional contract when he turns 17 next January.

Nicoll-Jazuli has been with the Blues since he was eight, and at 15, became Chelsea’s youngest-ever starter in the UEFA Youth League. There are seriously high hopes for the teenager, who played a key role in the U-18s’ success last season and seldom looks out of place when he appears for the U-21s.

Crucially, Nicoll-Jazuli is physically impressive, capable of resisting pressure and efficiently driving the ball forward. As you’d expect of any standout youth talent, the 16-year-old is adept in an array of roles, often performing with the swagger of someone who knows he’s a cut above the rest.

Expect him to at least get an opportunity or two in the domestic cups.

Reggie Watson

Reggie Watson and Nicoll-Jazuli are the two 16 year olds on Chelsea’s preseason tour, with the latter returning to his home city of Sydney.

Watson, on the contrary, is a London boy, born in Bromley.

Alonso’s predecessor Liam Rosenior was a big admirer of the midfielder, describing Watson’s level as “scary” for his age. However, he subsequently picked up an injury in April and missed the remainder of the season.

He’s since recovered and has seemingly left an impression on Alonso, who wouldn’t have taken him to Australia if he didn’t believe he was up to par. Watson is another recent scholar, agreeing to terms in July, and supporters are hopeful that the 16-year-old could one day emerge as a stalwart in Chelsea’s midfield.

Watson’s not merely a midfield general—far from it. His ball-striking is as clean as it gets, too. Some might even suggest he’s a free-kick specialist.

Ryan Kavuma-McQueen

It’s no surprise that Alonso has taken a liking to 17-year-old winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, who made his senior debut in Chelsea’s FA Cup quarterfinal beatdown of Port Vale in April.

The Blues have squandered the likes of Rio Ngumoha and Ryan McAidoo in recent years, and have just sold a slightly older Cobham graduate Tyrique George to Everton. They can’t make the same mistake with Kavuma-McQueen, who certainly has first-team potential.

Goalscoring wide players are hard to come by, but Kavuma-McQueen could be among the rare breed. He scored 13 times in 27 games across all competitions last season, and bagged a brace in the U-18s’ 5–1 victory over Man City in the National Championship final.

With Geovany Quenda dealing with an injury, there’s bound to be a chance for the 17-year-old to impress in preseason and work his way into Alonso’s thinking.

Omari Kellyman

Twenty-year-old attacking midfielder Omari Kellyman didn’t develop through the club’s academy, instead joining the club from Aston Villa in 2024.

He‘s since enjoyed a loan spell in League One with Cardiff City, scoring 11 times in the third tier for a Bluebirds team that immediately returned to the Championship.

Kellyman is more experienced than the aforementioned Cobham starlets, and, in theory, has more of a chance of playing a role for Alonso’s first team in 2026–27. However, there’s also a world in which he‘s loaned out to the English Football League (EFL) again.

Chelsea’s tour will likely determine what comes next for the former Villa man.

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