Ranking Chelsea's 10 Brightest Youth Prospects

It's no secret that Chelsea have one of the best academies in Europe.

The Blues are reigning FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League champions after an unstoppable season last year.

The squads from under-18s to the under-21s are packed full of talent. Most encouragingly, though, is that the vast majority of those coming through at Stamford Bridge are English.

That's where Chelsea are hoping to take the club—the ambition is to maintain success, but with an English backbone that has been fuelled by success at youth level.

With so many to choose from, who are the stand-out players in Chelsea's academy? Who are those being predicted to scale the very heights that John Terry has?

Join Bleacher Report as we rank our top 10.

NB: This list only features players currently at the club and not those out on loan. That means the likes of Lewis Baker, Izzy Brown and Dominic Solanke do not feature.

10. Mason Mount

The 16-year-old has become more of a regular in the under-18s this term after only making a few appearances in the past couple of seasons.

He's beginning to make a real name for himself and not just at Chelsea.

In a recent England under-17 appearance against Germany, Mount scored a sublime goal for his country in a 2-1 win.

As we're sure you'll agree from the clip above, it's a strike that wouldn't look out of place in west London on a Saturday.

Mount has been with Chelsea since he was just six years old. If his progress continues, he is likely to be at the club for another 10 years or more.

9. Harvey St. Clair

Chelsea's under-18s team manager Joe Edwards recently discussed the importance of replacing the likes of Izzy Brown and Dominic Solanke in his squad this season.

The pair are on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, which has meant Edwards having to replace their goal threat with other players.

"Getting goals is one of the toughest parts of the game," he said in his column for the Chelsea programme.

Well, Harvey St. Clair has played a big part in Solanke and Brown hardly being missed.

The 17-year-old has racked up seven already this season and is a real threat from wide positions, running at defenders and causing panic.

8. Ike Ugbo

Another of the current under-18s squad at Chelsea who has been among the goals this season is Ike Ugbo.

The 17-year-old striker has been at Chelsea since he was 10, although it's only until recently that he's been identified as a front man, after playing in a number of positions.

It's been a rewarding decision to play Ugbo up front as he is a real goal threat. He scored 11 times for the under-18s last season and is close to matching that tally after scoring nine so far this term.

Expect big things from him.

7. Ola Aina

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Aina is a player we know plenty about already.

The defender has been training with Jose Mourinho's first team this season, but he remains a regular for the under-21s.

Playing at right-back, the 19-year-old is a powerful presence on the flanks and uses his pace to good effect as he joins attacks.

A physical presence in his age group, the big challenge for Aina is to show the Chelsea hierarchy that he is capable of being equally dominant with the senior team.

That means improving his ability with the ball as at the highest level, as he can't rely on just his physical attributes.

6. Jake Clarke-Salter

Recently turned 18, Jake Clarke-Salter is a man with a growing reputation at Chelsea.

He is a local boy in every sense, having been born in Carshalton which is just a short journey from the club's Cobham training ground.

The centre-back was part of the victorious FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League sides last season and continues to impress with the under-21s this year.

With John Terry being the last academy graduate to cement a place in the Chelsea first team, it means fellow centre-backs come with an air of expectation attached to them.

Clarke-Salter seems to be taking it all his stride, though, which says as much about his mentality as it does his ability as a player.

5. Kasey Palmer

There's long been a buzz surrounding Kasey Palmer since he was at Charlton Athletic.

The 19-year-old joined Chelsea in the 2012/13 campaign and has gradually established himself at Stamford Bridge.

With the likes of Izzy Brown away on loan, Palmer has seized his opportunities this term.

He has notched seven goals for the under-21s—close to double his tally of four last season—outlining his goal threat and the talent he has.

Palmer is a fine talent and one of the many exciting attacking prospects Chelsea have coming through.

4. Jay Dasilva

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He's being billed as the next Ashley Cole.

It's not just his height and position where Jay Dasilva shares similarities with the Chelsea legend, it's also his defensive and attacking abilities.

He's tactically disciplined, but is equally a threat going forward. He plays a big part on the Chelsea under-21s' attacking play, working tirelessly on the flanks to provide width and crosses.

He's won everything at youth-team level, but is still only 17. The next step in his progress is to push for a first-team place.

3. Charlie Colkett

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A smooth operator.

Charlie Colkett plays with a grace and wisdom not overly associated with youth-team players. He looks beyond his 19 years.

Injury has set him back this term, but Chelsea know exactly what they have on their hands with the Londoner.

It's not exaggerating things to compare him to someone like Cesc Fabregas. He has excellent vision and—like the Spaniard—looks to control games from the middle and dictate play.

For more on Colkett, read Bleacher Report's review of his excellent 2015 FA Youth Cup Final performance.

2. Charly Musonda

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

It says plenty about Charly Musonda that he was recently linked with a move to Arsenal or Manchester United in French publication Foot Mercato (h/t Adam Skinner of the Daily Express).

That's the sort of buzz Musonda is getting because it's the sort of player he is. The 19-year-old attracts attention as he's an exceptional talent.

He is lightning quick, but his feet can seem even quicker at times. He will regularly make minced meat of defenders as he cuts in from wide positions.

If there is one weakness to his game, it's that Musonda doesn't score enough. He has just one goal this season.

Chelsea must do all they can to keep Musonda from the clutches of their rivals.

1. Tammy Abraham

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He's not just the stand-out striker in the Chelsea academy right now, but also the leading goalscorer at the club across all age groups.

Yes, that means Tammy Abraham is outscoring the likes of Diego Costa and Radamel Falcao.

Sure, youth-team football is a different level completely, but it doesn't mean we should disregard just how lethal he has been for Chelsea.

The 18-year-old racked up an incredible 41 goals last season as Chelsea swept the board at home and in Europe. He has proved just as prolific with 11 goals from 13 games this term.

With Abraham and Dominic Solanke, there is a very real possibility the Blues could well have their strike partnership sorted for the next decade or more.

If both players were to maintain their youth-team scoring records, that would be rather tasty.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.