Ranking the Top 5 Youngsters Chelsea Let Go Too Soon
This week has seen Patrick Bamford depart Chelsea. It's not on loan this time, however, with the striker joining Middlesbrough in a permanent deal worth £5.5 million, according to BBC Sport.
Highly rated youngster Dominic Solanke is another striker who could be on the move, with the Telegraph's Matt Law reporting he will leave the Blues on a free transfer this summer, as he is unable to agree on a new contract with Chelsea's power brokers.
For fans hoping to see more young talent given a chance at Stamford Bridge, losing two of their most promising players will come as a blow. It's not an uncommon occurrence for Chelsea to allow top talent to leave at a young age, though.
Indeed, it happens across the board with all elite clubs who struggle to find a balance between youth and experience in their pursuit of success.
Chelsea have seen their fair share of talented players leave down the years, with Bamford and—potentially—Solanke just adding to a growing list.
But who are the stars Chelsea have let go too soon in the Premier League era? Who could have stayed in west London and achieved their potential? Who departed Chelsea to become massive stars?
Join Bleacher Report as we take a look at our top five.
5. Jon Harley
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Here's a name that isn't known as well as it should be in west London.
Jon Harley is among a rare breed at Chelsea—he's a player who has come through the club's youth system in the Premier League era to make an impact in the first team.
A year ahead of John Terry in the Chelsea youth ranks, Harley's early form with Chelsea was promising. Competing with Graeme Le Saux at left-back, he made a good fist of establishing himself and seemed a good alternative to Le Saux in the long term.
Indeed, Harley was just 20 when Chelsea sold him to west London neighbours Fulham for £3.5 million. It was a disappointment, with the club preferring to invest in more established, overseas talent in the place of one of their own up-and-coming players.
Should we compare careers and experience at the time, Harley was probably par with Terry, who himself was beginning to gain the trust of then-manager Claudio Ranieri. He was stopped in his tracks, though, making a move that didn't quite suit him.
After spending three years at Craven Cottage, where he was in and out of the side, Harley was eventually sold to Sheffield United. He would also play for Burnley, Watford, Notts County and Portsmouth.
Despite having a respectable career, there is a feeling that remaining at Chelsea could have seen Harley become an established star at Stamford Bridge. He had the potential to achieve everything Terry has.
4. Lassana Diarra
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Lassana Diarra is an enigma. Given the talent he possesses, he should have achieved so much more in his career.
For a player who counts Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid as his former clubs, that's saying something. Wherever he has travelled, though, Diarra has never quite become the force we expected he would.
That said, there remains a feeling that Chelsea allowed him to leave too early in September 2007. The main reason for his move to Arsenal back then was that Diarra had just six months left on his contract, and the Blues had to cash in while they could rather than allow him to depart for nothing.
In a rare case, however, staying at Chelsea would have probably benefitted Diarra, unlike some of the players on this list who excelled away from Stamford Bridge.
A big reason for that was that by leaving Chelsea, Diarra also left his mentor Claude Makelele. The young Frenchman was being groomed as his compatriot's long-term replacement in west London, so leaving when he did—aged just 21 years old—all felt rather premature.
He was being played more frequently by former Blues boss Jose Mourinho than any other youngster at Chelsea, which spoke volumes for the manager's confidence in his ability given the Portuguese's track record with youngsters.
Departing when he did meant Chelsea and Diarra both lost out.
The French midfielder—still only 31 now—left Arsenal after just a year, joining Portsmouth, where he impressed enough to earn a move to Real Madrid in 2009. He would make over 100 appearances for Real, winning La Liga.
For all that, his career feels like one that should've produced more than it has. He had the potential to achieve much more.
3. Nemanja Matic
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Nemanja Matic was a makeweight in Chelsea's pursuit of David Luiz in January 2011. With the Brazilian arriving from Benfica for around £24 million, the Serbian midfielder went the other way as a sweetener in the deal.
It seemed like good business at the time, until Chelsea realised Matic was the sort of player they needed to build their team around. He then cost the Blues £21 million to re-sign from Benfica in January 2014, becoming a big part of Mourinho's side that went on to win the Premier League the following season.
Matic had not long turned 22 when Chelsea sold him. Carlo Ancelotti was in charge at the time and, despite a couple of appearances here and there, the Serbian wasn't given the platform to prove himself.
It was only by moving away from Stamford Bridge that Matic was able to develop properly, which doesn't speak well for the confidence Chelsea show in their youngsters. Benfica were, in effect, paid £21 million to develop a player that had been the Blues' all along. The big difference between the clubs was the faith each showed in the player.
It's a problem that rears its head much too often in west London. The success Matic has enjoyed since he first departed in 2011, going on to become a vital player for the club now, shows that with patience and a desire to produce players, Chelsea can save themselves big money in the transfer market.
2. Romelu Lukaku
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As the Diego Costa saga continues, it inevitably means fans will cast their minds back to when Romelu Lukaku was sold to Everton three seasons ago.
Lukaku departed back then, as Costa was going to keep him out of the first team, meaning he would be restricted to appearances from the bench at best.
Lukaku's view was that, despite being only 20, he was ready to play. Given his form since—the Belgian has scored 58 goals in all competitions for the Toffees—he has proved a point.
Should Costa leave Chelsea, Lukaku is a name that will inevitably be linked with Chelsea as the Blues look to replace the Spain international. If that happens, Lukaku will cost much more than the £28 million they sold him for.
It begs the question as to why Chelsea allowed him to leave at all. Perhaps a loan would have sufficed, or a permanent deal with a buy-back option similar to what Real Madrid executed with Alvaro Morata's move to Juventus.
The point with Lukaku is that his style has always suited Chelsea, but with Costa, the club put all their eggs in one basket. Now they're left in a position where, come the summer—as noted in the aforementioned Telegraph report—we're expecting them to be replacing their star striker.
Lukaku was so young when he left Chelsea that he had time on his side to develop as a striker. It's with Everton where he has done that development, and without a ready-made replacement for Costa in their ranks, it's going to be expensive for Chelsea to sign another proven goalscorer.
1. Kevin De Bruyne
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Belgium international Kevin De Bruyne was 22 when he left Chelsea, so he just about scrapes it into our list.
He had been a Blues player since he was 20, but with first-team opportunities few and far between, had spent most of his time away from Stamford Bridge on loan with Werder Bremen. Indeed, De Bruyne made just three Premier League appearances for Chelsea before the club cashed in, selling him for £18 million to Wolfsburg in January 2014.
It seemed like good business at the time. In just two years, Chelsea made an £11 million profit on their investment in De Bruyne, having signed him from boyhood club Genk.
When we consider the progress he then made in the next 18 months with Wolfsburg, however, Chelsea would have been kicking themselves.
Publicly, the club seemed unfussed by the fact Manchester City would go on to spend £55 million on a player they had deemed surplus to requirements. It wasn't the money that would have frustrated, though—it was more the fact that De Bruyne had developed to become one of the leading attackers in European football. And he had been a Chelsea player.
The Blues missed a trick in allowing De Bruyne to leave when he did. Especially as those who were preferred ahead of him have all now departed Stamford Bridge having never realised their potential, notably Oscar.
De Bruyne is a symbol of where Chelsea have failed with young players, whether they've signed them from another club or developed them through the academy. The opportunities haven't been there for youngsters to flourish, and it's only by leaving the Blues that some have gone onto to become the stars Chelsea hoped they would be.
De Bruyne is top of that list.
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