SAMI MOKBEL: Why Chelsea's generational talents are leaving in droves

If Chelsea aren't careful, the departure of 16-year-old wonderkid Rio Ngumoha to Liverpool will be the tip of the iceberg.

Losing Ngumoha to Liverpool has arrived as a major blow to Chelsea. Those who have watched him view the teenager as a generational talent.

'There is a big distrust with academy boys at Chelsea because of the first team strategy of just signing players,' said one well-placed source.

'They feel there is no pathway and they will just get lost in the machine. They don't trust that there is a pathway for them to the first-team at Chelsea anymore.

'They'll sign and then in the next window they'll sign two players in that same position. Clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool have clear pathways and projects for their academy players.

'At the moment a lot of the players feel like they are just treated as vehicles for Chelsea to trade their way out of PSR issues like Conor Gallagher was.'

With that in mind, Mail Sport knows of a high-profile senior footballer who steadfastly refused to even consider a move to Chelsea this summer because of the way Gallagher, who emerged through the club's academy having joined at the age of six, was treated ahead of his move to Atletico Madrid to satisfy the Blues' ongoing battle to comply with financial fair play rules.

Eighteen-year-old Omari Kellyman, who arrived from Aston Villa in a deal worth £19million in the previous window, is yet to feature in a single matchday squad since signing. If Kellyman is concerned, it would be entirely understandable.

Josh Acheampong, 18, came on for the final five minutes of May's 2-0 win over Tottenham having signed to Chelsea's youth ranks as an Under-8.

Kiano Dyer, 17, along with George and Acheampong have been named in Enzo Maresca's Conference League squad this season.

Of course, the club will point to captain Reece James and Levi Colwill as proof of the club's commitment to ensuring a pathway for their youngsters.

James and Colwill, though, are both made their professional debuts during the Abramovich era.

For Ngumoha and Kellyman, who have both played for England at youth level, the next three to four years are crucial as they navigate the daunting step up from junior football to mens.

But how can they successfully make that step without even a sniff of an opportunity? Ngumoha, who it is understood didn't use an agent to facilitate his deal to Liverpool, believes he knows the answer.

There is a real danger of Chelsea's best young players reaching the same conclusion if something doesn't change.

'Their approach is too top heavy, too much focus on the first-team. They don't get it,' said a leading figure in youth recruitment.

It's a far cry from the Roman Abramovich era; the Russian oligarch placed major emphasis on developing a best-in-class academy.

Indeed, there are those within the industry who believe Chelsea have no right to feel any consternation at losing Ngumouha to Liverpool.

'They've been nicking teenagers for years,' said another leading figure at a rival club.

Nevertheless, the frustration of losing Ngumoha will linger for a while yet.

It is claimed that Ngumoha was open to staying having sought assurances over a clear direction of travel towards senior football at Chelsea. It is understood Chelsea were slow in coming forward with a defined plan.

By the time the penny had dropped, it was too late. Liverpool, who presented Ngumoha with a clear strategy towards senior integration, had swooped.

When considering the reasons behind Ngumoha's decision to swap Stamford Bridge for Anfield, it is key to ponder Liverpool's chief executive of football Michael Edwards' influence.

Edwards, having left Liverpool in 2022, developed a penchant for making statement young signings during his first spell at Anfield.

Dominic Solanke, 19 at the time, was taken from Chelsea in 2017 with the striker having played just 17 minutes of first-team football for the London club.

Harvey Elliott, 16 at the time, signed from Fulham in 2019. It is said that Edwards also had a role in luring Rhian Brewster, 15 at the time, from Chelsea in 2015.

While Ngumoha's arrival won't necessarily be viewed as a big deal in the mainstream, it's one that has sent shockwaves through the academy community.

'This is Edwards' 'I'm back in town' signing,' said one insider.

There will be those that will say that Liverpool threw money at Ngumoha and his family to get the deal over the line.

But those with knowledge of the situation insist the winger was eventually offered more by Chelsea as they looked to avoid losing their talented youngster.

Money talks - but not always.

Dyche down - but not out

Everton head coach Sean Dyche's long-term future at the club remains unclear heading into the final eight months of his contract.

Mail Sport has learned that the club's hierarchy, in its current guise, have shown a willingness to extend the 53-year-old's contract and have expressed their openness to do so.

But so far there has been no breakthrough amid the ongoing on and off-the-pitch difficulties at Goodison Park.

There is an acknowledgement behind the scenes at Everton that Dyche has successfully steered the team through one of its most turbulent periods in the club's history.

He kept Everton in the Premier League in 2023, despite arriving with the team in the relegation zone, while last season he kept the club in the top-flight despite an eight point deduction for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.

The club have once again had to operate under major financial restrictions during the summer transfer window which has played a role in Everton's pointless start to the season which leaves them at the bottom of the table after three games.

Nevertheless, there remains a sense at Goodison that Dyche's experience and knowhow of avoiding relegation remains crucial to club's hopes of once again avoiding the drop.

But as Dyche approaches the final months of his deal the uncertainty that has engulfed the club with regards to their unstable finances and a potential takeover has significantly impacted on progress over any new contract.

US businessman John Textor is trying to clinch a deal to buy the club from current owner Farhad Moshiri.

It remains to be seen how any takeover would impact on the club's view on Dyche's future, but the current regime are open to rewarding the former Burnley boss for his work so far.

Flying away from the Eagles

Textor is in line to net £200million from the sale of his 45 percent shareholding in Crystal Palace.

Sources have indicated the Raine Group, the investment and merchant bank dealing with the sale on Textor's behalf, are in the closing stages of selecting the preferred bidder for the tycoon's shares.

Interested parties have been informed of a soft deadline for offers on a date in September.

Around 14 groups had expressed an initial interest in Textor's shareholding, but the whittling down process is underway and drawing to close.

And it is claimed from a figure close to the process that Textor can expect a return of between £190m-£200m for his stake in the Selhurst Park club.

Textor is keen for a smooth sale of his stake in Palace to facilitate his ambition of buying out Farhad Moshiri at Everton.

Agent suing Chelsea

Saif Rubie, the agent cleared of sending a threatening email to Marina Granovskaia, is suing Chelsea and the club's former director for a sum close to £3million.

Chelsea and Granovskaia were both served with court papers last Friday in relation to fees he claims he is owed from Kurt Zouma's move from Stamford Bridge to West Ham in 2021.

And I can reveal that the amount Rubie is claiming is in the region of £3million for his role in the transfer.

FIFA laws state that an agent acting on behalf of a selling club are entitled to up to 10 per cent of the transfer fee.

Chelsea received a total of £29.1million when selling Zouma to their London rivals.

The Blues and Granovskaia have until Friday week to respond to Zouma's court application.

Earlier this year Rubie was acquitted of malicious communications in relation to an email sent to Granovskaia over a sum of money he said he was owed from the Zouma deal.

Maguire's fitness

Manchester United medics were in touch with their England counterparts over Harry Maguire's fitness during the international break.

The central defender was recalled to the squad for the recent matches against Republic of Ireland and Finland after missing out on the squad that travelled to Euro 2024 earlier in the summer.

Maguire spent much of the close season recovering a calf problem that curtailed his involvement for United towards the end of last season and played a role in his omission from the squad for Germany.

And those concerns were relayed to England staff ahead of the recent Nations League fixtures.

Having completed 85 minutes of the win in Dublin, the United centre back was an unused sub against the Finns.

Cleared but jeered

Leicester's successful fight against a points deduction in relation to profit and sustainability breaches has sparked anger among their Premier League rivals.

The Foxes confirmed they'd avoided a deduction last week on the grounds that their accounting period ended on June 30, 2023, when the club was no longer a member of the Premier League following their relegation to the second tier the previous month.

Leicester's lawyers successfully exploited the loophole which has caused consternation from other Premier League sides.

Their anger is not necessarily directed at the newly promoted side but rather the Premier League for the way in which the rules have been written, which have allowed Leicester to successfully they argue their way out of a deduction.

'The eyes are on the Premier League here, this is on them,' said one club source.

Goodbye to Sven 

The Football Association's deputy chief executive Mark Burrows will be part of an English delegation that attends Sven-Goran Eriksson's funeral on Friday.

The governing body paid various tributes to the former England manager on Tuesday night during the Nations League win over Finland.

And Burrows will travel to Sweden to attend Eriksson's funeral tomorrow alongside a number of former FA executives who worked closely with the popular boss during his reign between 2001 and 2006.

Eriksson passed away last month following a battle against pancreatic cancer.

Van Dijk doubt rumbles on 

Liverpool are expected to target a left-footed centre back in the next two transfer windows amid the continuing uncertainty over Virgil van Dijk's future.

The Merseysiders considered signing a new centre back over the summer but could not attract their top targets to the club.

And it is understood the club's recruitment team have pinpointed a left-footed centre half as a position that requires strengthening.

Willian Pacho, who joined PSG from Eintracht Frankfurt over the summer, is one name Liverpool have monitored. 

Liverpool's preparations to sign a new centre back coincide with the ongoing uncertainty over Van Dijk's future at Anfield.

The Netherlands international, who generally features as left centre back, is out of contract at the end of the season - and Mail Sport understands a host of clubs in Italy are taking a keen interest in the defender's contractual developments.

From January, Van Dijk will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club with a view to leaving Liverpool for nothing next summer.

Pride in diversity

Former Chelsea captain Paul Elliott has spoken of his pride at the appointment of Ashley Cole and Joleon Lescott onto England's senior backroom team.

Cole and Lescott, both coaches from diverse backgrounds, played key roles next to England's current interim head coach Lee Carsley during the recent international break.

Leading equality activist Elliott, during his time with the FA as chair of their Inclusion Advisory Board, was central to the introduction of the England Elite Coach Programme, a scheme designed to provide greater coaching opportunities for diverse coaches in the game.

And Elliott told Mail Sport: 'With the ongoing blockages and barriers to entry for black coaches and managers across the game I was very proud to see the diversity on Lee Carsley's bench in the last two matches.

'That visibility is so important as its represents the legacy of the England Elite Coaching Programme that l conceived back in 2016.

'Ex-players like Chris Powell, Sol Campbell, Paul Nevin and Jason Euell have been inclusive in the England set up and currently Cole and Lescott are central to Lee Carsley during his tenure.

'That visibility and role modelling is important for players given the diverse make up of our England teams at all levels.'

PM goes undercover

Sir Kier Starmer will go behind enemy lines on Sunday when he attends the North London Derby - his first since becoming Prime Minister.

The Labour politician, who was sworn into the top job in July, has made no secret of his support for Arsenal and is a regular at the Emirates Stadium.

But despite his loyalty to the red half of north London, Spurs will open the doors to their state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to Starmer this weekend so he can attend the game.

Starmer's colleague foreign secretary David Lammy, who is the MP for Tottenham, is also scheduled to attend the highly-anticipated clash.

No punishment for Enzo 

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez will escape punishment by the Football Association for his role in a discriminatory social media video that included derogatory remarks about members of the France team.

On the day Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was left facing a 12-game ban for a similar offence after being charged by the FA, we can reveal that Fernandez is not in line for a domestic rap due to a technicality in disciplinary procedures.

FIFA and Chelsea opened an investigation after a social media video following Argentina's Copa America victory appeared to show Fernandez and his teammates chanting a racist song about the French team as they celebrated in July.

At the time, there were indications that the FA would also investigate Fernandez’s role in the video given he is classed as a ‘participant’ in English football.

But the FA are not probing the matter because the video was recorded while Fernandez was on international duty, meaning it is a matter for FIFA and CONEMBOL.

In contrast, Bentancur’s offence, which saw the Uruguayan make a racist remark about South Korean people when talking about his teammate Son Heung-min during a television appearance did fill under the FA umbrella because he had not been released by Tottenham for international fixtures.

Earlier this year Manchester City midfielder Rodri was banned for one international fixture by UEFA for making a insulting comment about Gibraltar.

But because the comment was made whilst Rodri was on international duty, the FA did not have the jurisdiction to intervene, a similar scenario as to why Fernandez will escape a domestic punishment.

Back at Selhurst 

Former Crystal Palace midfielder Stuart O'Keefe has returned to the club as an academy coach.

The 33-year-old spent five years at Selhurst Park from 2010, making 51 appearances for the club in that time - 12 of those coming in the Premier League.

And Palace have opened their doors to the 33-year-old to start his coaching career at their recently opened new academy HQ.