Chelsea face losing academy stars over Abramovich sanctions

Chelsea faces losing its next generation of stars unless the Government changes its mind on signing new contracts.

Several of the club’s brightest talents emerging from the academy are up for new deals and face an uncertain future under the current terms of the operating license.

UK Government sanctions placed upon Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic prohibit the signing of new players and also negotiations to keep existing ones.

Manager Thomas Tuchel is not only concerned about the effects on the first team but right down the pyramid at Stamford Bridge.

England Under-17 World Cup winner George McEachran, 21, is a budding talent whose contract is about to expire having been at Chelsea since the age of eight.

ALSO READ:  Abramovich puts Chelsea up for sale

Teenage midfielder Xavier Simons, 19, is one of the most highly-rated in the U23 squad and is also due to hold contract talks soon.

A Blues insider told SunSport: “Everyone is focussed on the players in the first team who are out of contract but the ones we feel really sorry for are the youngsters.

“Now is the time when the boys start talking about new contracts with the club and everyone is in the dark.

“They are the ones coming through and if Chelsea are not allowed to sign new contracts with them it’s a huge blow to both parties.”

Forward Thierno Ballo (20), defensive pair Sam McLelland (20) and Josh Brooking (19) and midfielder Dion Rankine’s (19) contracts all expire in the summer.

Austrian U21 international midfielder Ballo has been with the Blues since 2018 and is currently back in his homeland on loan at Austria Vienna.

Defender McClelland is yet to make his senior bow for Chelsea but the starlet has been capped by Northern Ireland already.

ALSO READ:  Abramovich puts Chelsea up for sale

Brooking joined the Blues’ academy in 2018 and is still yet to make an appearance for the first-team, but the club were keen to secure his future by handing him a one-year pro deal last summer.

And Rankine is also highly-thought of and is a regular for England’s U18s.

Chelsea has become a symbol of promoting youth from within in recent years with midfielder and club vice-captain Mason Mount, forward Callum Hudson-Odoi, defenders Reece James, Andreas Christensen and Trevoh Chalobah all progressing to become first-team regulars.

Chelsea and the Premier League are in the dark about what the rules are concerning the club’s future.

The Government says Chelsea can continue to fulfill its fixtures but ultimately it needs to have players around to do that in the short and medium-term.