Josh McEachran and 9 Chelsea Youngsters Who Never Made the Grade
The spotlight is on Chelsea's academy more than ever right now.
Having won the FA Youth Cup three times in the last five seasons, the Blues are beginning to dominate youth football in England in much the same way the senior team hopes to do again.
And of the players who have been involved in those Youth Cup wins, some are now beginning to find their way into Jose Mourinho's thoughts, alongside other young talent coming through.
This summer saw Patrick Bamford, Izzy Brown, Dominic Solanke, Lewis Baker and Jeremie Boga all make an impact in the first team as part of pre-season and we can expect more from them in the future.
How many will go on to become Chelsea regulars remains to be seen, of course.
From big hopes in the youth team, there are plenty of players who have never quite made the grade at Stanford Bridge.
More recently, Josh McEachran is probably the most high profile of those.
Bleacher Report looks at Chelsea's once-bright young thing and some other players who never made it at Stamford Bridge.
Gael Kakuta
1 of 10
Embroiled in a murky transfer deal that saw Chelsea straddled with a transfer ban—eventually lifted in February 2010, per BBC Sport—Gael Kakuta was supposed to be worth all the hassle.
The Blues eventually got off by paying his former club Lens a £113,000 development fee, which at the time seemed good business on their part as Kakuta was a rising star.
Four years on and it's Lens who have come out the winners.
Kakuta has struggled with injuries and with it, struggled to make any sort of impact at Chelsea.
He is currently on loan at Rayo Vallecano, his sixth loan move having had spells at Fulham, Bolton Wanderers, Dijon, Vitesse Arnhem and Lazio.
Now 23, it's difficult to see him remaining at Chelsea in the long term.
Jacob Mellis
2 of 10
Jacob Mellis joined Blackpool from Barnsley this summer—not a bad move when considering the Tangerines remain one of the most respected clubs in English football for their rich heritage and tradition, despite problems in the boardroom.
It could have been so much different, though.
Mellis was signed from Sheffield Untied in 2007 and his powerful performances for the youth team had him earmarked as a future regular in Chelsea's midfield.
Problems off the pitch got in the way, however, and in March 2012, Mellis was sacked by Chelsea for setting off a smoke grenade at the club's Cobham training ground, per The Telegraph.
Tom Taiwo
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Another player embroiled in a transfer saga when joining Chelsea, the Blues were accused by former chairman Ken Bates of tapping Tom Taiwo when he left Leeds United in 2006, per BBC Sport.
He was seen as a future England international and featured in England's Under-17s.
Injuries got in the way of Taiwo's development, though, and three years after joining the Blues, he was released, signing for Carlisle United.
Taiwo now plays for Hibernian.
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Michael Woods
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Michael Woods was the other player who left Leeds United for Chelsea in 2006, moving south with teammate Tom Taiwo.
He enjoyed better fortunes than Taiwo, though, making his debut in the FA Cup when aged just 16 years and 275 days.
That made him the fourth-youngest player in Chelsea's history, but like Taiwo, he never made the most of his time at Chelsea and was eventually released in 2011.
Currently playing for Hartlepool United.
Jimmy Smith
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Jimmy Smith was a player who Jose Mourinho seemed to take under his wing during his first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge.
When Chelsea had sealed the Premier League title in 2005, Smith was awarded his debut against Newcastle United.
That was the only time Chelsea fans would see him in action for the club, with loan spells at QPR, Norwich City, Sheffield Wednesday and Leyton Orient, doing more bad than good.
Often, when Smith arrived back at the club, there was a new manager in place, so it proved a case of him being overlooked.
He left Chelsea for Orient in 2009 and has since played for Stevenage and Crawley Town.
Sam Hutchinson
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Had it not been for injuries, which forced him into temporary retirement at one stage, the belief is he would have become a regular for the club.
As it is, though, Hutchinson prolonged spells on the treatment table have damaged his progress and meant he isn't the player many hoped he would be.
Hutchinson had been a Chelsea player since the age of nine, before he left permanently this summer.
Lenny Pidgeley
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Lenny Pidgeley fitted the bill of what to expect from goalkeepers.
He was a real character and enjoyed a brief period of being part of the Chelsea squad. He even made it onto the bench for the 2005 League Cup final due to Carlo Cudicini picking up an injury.
What he had in character, Pidgeley lacked in talent, though and with Petr Cech, Cudicini and others ahead of him, he was never going to enjoy a long career at Stamford Bridge.
He came through the ranks, but was eventually allowed to leave in 2006, joining Millwall.
Pidgeley now plays for League 2 Newport County.
Mark Nicholls
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Chelsea enjoyed a spell of promoting youngsters to the first team in the mid-90s, with Paul Nicholls one of the many given debuts or more at the club.
A striker, Nicholls was often seen on the bench and went on to make 52 appearances, scoring three goals.
Chelsea fans remember him most for the goal he scored in a 6-1 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
After leaving Chelsea in 2001, Nicholls mostly played in non-league football, featuring for the likes of Northwood and Uxbridge.
Jody Morris
9 of 10
When a player goes on to make 173 appearances for a club, it's fair to say they have become established.
In that sense, it's harsh to suggest Jody Morris didn't make the grade at Chelsea.
The point is, however, he should have gone on to do so much more for the club.
Morris was often spoken of as being the successor to Dennis Wise as captain and with his ability, would have probably emulated him in the legend ranks, too.
Instead, Morris left Chelsea under a cloud in 2003 and from then on, his career faded.
He joined Leeds United, later moving to Rotherham a year later.
Morris also had spells at Millwall, St. Johnstone and Bristol City.
He is currently a coach at the Chelsea academy, hopefully educating youngsters about where he went wrong, especially with the way he behaved off the pitch.
On talent alone, Morris is one of the best players Chelsea have produced in the past couple of decades.
That he isn't regarded more highly is a considerable disappointment.
Josh McEachran
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Like Jimmy Smith before him, Josh McEachran seemed to enjoy a good relationship with the first-team manager at Stamford Bridge when he was coming through.
It was Jose Mourinho for Smith, Carlo Ancelotti for McEachran.
The Italian seemed to rate him highly and it's not difficult to see why.
McEachran was a player comfortable on the ball—perhaps more cultured for what we expect from Englishmen.
Despite being surrounded by far more experienced players, whenever he featured, he didn't look out of place.
He made his debut against MSK Zilina in September 2010, becoming the first player to play in the Champions League having been born after it was rebranded from the European Cup.
In terms of achievements, that's as good as it gets for McEachran, unfortunately.
He has since gone from club to club on loan, featuring for four different teams before joining Vitesse Arnhem on loan this summer.
Now 21 years old, it doesn't look like he'll be adding to the 11 Premier League appearances he has for the Blues.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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