Chelsea must rue letting star leave for £0

Chelsea’s academy is up there with one of the very best in the country, producing a constant catalogue of talent that have made an impact in the first-team.

Reece James is arguably the most high-profile within Enzo Maresca’s side, racking up over 150 appearances since his debut in 2019 and even being named the club’s captain in the process.

Injuries have massively affected his progress at Stamford Bridge, limiting the 25-year-old to just six Premier League starts throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

Levi Colwill is another academy graduate also in the first team setup, becoming a key player under the Italian, starting all but two of the league matches since his appointment in the summer.

However, despite the impressive nature of the youth setup in Cobham, owner Todd Boehly has also dipped into the market, spending a small fortune on transfers since taking over in 2022.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s stats for Chelsea since joining

The American has splashed over £1.2b since taking the reins, aiding various managers in their attempts to take the Blues back to Premier League glory.

He would spend a small fortune on winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who cost him £88.5m from Shakhtar Donetsk during the January window back in 2023.

He moved to West London after a battle with Arsenal, with the deal for the Ukrainian now appearing to be somewhat of a mistake over two years on from his big-money transfer.

The 24-year-old has only scored 10 goals in his 73 appearances for the club, falling down the pecking order before his latest setback, which has seen him miss the last two and a half months of action.

Mudryk tested positive for a banned substance, currently suspended pending an investigation, casting doubt over his long-term future within Maresca’s side, whilst also seeing a huge decline in his market value.

The former Chelsea player who’s worth 2x more than Mudryk

As previously mentioned, Chelsea’s academy has for many years been the pride of the club, allowing them to save millions of pounds in the transfer market whilst also banking them a profit.

Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher and Lewis Hall are just three players who have departed their boyhood side in recent years, pocketing over £120m in the process.

However, they have also allowed numerous talents to slip through their net, including winger Michael Olise, who was once on their books before leaving for nothing as a youngster.

The Frenchman left at the age of 14, joining Reading’s youth side and progressing his career in the professional game – eventually starring in the Premier League for Crystal Palace after his £8m move to Selhurst Park in 2021.

The 23-year-old registered 36 combined goal contributions during his three years across the capital, producing countless moments of brilliance in England’s top flight, including a superb free-kick against Manchester United.

As a result of his stellar form for the Eagles, he would move to German giants Bayern Munich in the summer for a whopping £50m – a transfer that has already taken his career to the next level.

Olise has since starred under Vincent Kompany in the Bundesliga, scoring 11 times and notching nine assists in just 34 matches, with his market value skyrocketing as a result of his impressive form.

The winger, who’s previously been dubbed “world-class” by analyst Ben Mattinson, is now valued at £56.5m by Football Transfers, a figure two times more than that of Mudryk, who’s now only worth £28m.

It’s a real shame to see the Ukrainian fail to make an impact after such hype around the move given the huge transfer fee paid for his services a couple of years ago.

However, it’s evident that the Blues made a huge mistake in allowing Olise to depart, potentially saving themselves a small fortune had they shown more willingness to keep him within the club at a young age.

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