BlueCo wants to establish multi-club youth setup with Chelsea
A new report shows that almost all of the Chelsea squad would fall into a category of youth with 96% at or under the age of 25. The Blues have experienced a massive squad overhaul since new ownership took over two years ago. BlueCo, a conglomerate led by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, purchased the Premier League club in May 2022.
Since the takeover, Chelsea has signed nearly 40 new players in the transfer market. The plethora of new additions cost the ownership team around $1.4 billion. BlueCo has attempted to offset this incredible spending by offloading dozens of unwanted players.
As a result, just three senior players remain in the current squad from the 2021/22 season. Reece James and Ben Chilwell are the most prominent players on this list. The defenders have both dealt with a series of injuries in recent years though. Third-string goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli also previously joined the club in 2021. The shot-stopper, however, has only played one match for the Blues.
Only 4% of Chelsea’s recent signings were over 25 years old
Not only has BlueCo overhauled Chelsea’s roster, but they have mostly focused on signing young talent. For instance, a new report from the CIES Football Observatory shows that only 4% of the club’s recent signings were players over the age of 25.
Along with Bettinelli, the Blues also brought in veteran center-back Tosin Adarabioyo back in July. The former Fulham star was 26 when he signed with Chelsea as a free agent. None of the West London team’s current roster entered the fray over the age of 30. Bettinelli is the club’s only player in the squad over the age of 27.
Not only has Chelsea avoided targeting older, more experienced players, but they have also mostly signed prospects under the age of 21. According to the aforementioned report, 52% of the club’s current players were signed in this age bracket. This is the third-highest percentage of any team in Europe’s top five leagues. Only Strasbourg (79%) and Eintracht Frankfurt (60%) have signed more U21 players than the Blues.
Strasbourg’s similar interest in youth players is not exactly surprising, considering they share ownership with Chelsea. BlueCo purchased the French side in the summer of 2023 for around $81 million. The move was seen as a way for Chelsea to use Strasbourg as essentially a feeder club.
BlueCo is attempting to follow in Red Bull’s footsteps
BlueCo’s strategy with Chelsea and Strasbourg is to spend money on highly-rated youth players, develop the talent, and then see significant rises in squad valuations. This move theoretically allows ownership to hold on to budding prospects on long-term contracts while also preventing a need for extreme spending in the future.
Nevertheless, perpetually purchasing relatively unproven players is also a risky business. This was evident in Chelsea’s embarrassing first season under the BlueCo umbrella. The Blues finished 12th in the Premier League table after winning just 11 matches in the division all season.
Chelsea, however, did bounce back to sixth in the English top-flight standings after the 2023/24 campaign. While not exactly where they need to be, it was a sign of improvement. The Blues currently sit in the same place in the table at the moment.
BlueCo’s youth movement between Chelsea and Strasbourg shows that they are attempting to become the next powerhouse in youth soccer. Red Bull is widely regarded as the premier soccer setup for developing young talent. The German conglomerate owns stakes in several clubs across the globe, including RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg, and New York Red Bulls.
The organization typically, particularly in Europe, opts to bring in young talent to develop. RB Leipzig, Red Bull’s top team, signed nearly half of their current players (48%) under the age of 22. This is currently the sixth-highest rate of any top-five European team. Red Bull recently announced that they will invest in French side Paris FC in the future.
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