Chelsea's Department of Youth

[Guest Brian M]

[youtube:39cg40x4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIlj9DVpvD8[/youtube:39cg40x4]

Most of us complain from time to time about the lack of players breaking through from our so called 'youth system'. I mean, aside from JT, is there anyone else that has come through in the last half 5-10 years that has really made the grade? I'm honestly struggling to remember anyone else that has.

But, my point here is that, despite the current lack of 'end product' from our youth system, I believe our Department of Youth may actually be on the right track. I say this, sight unseen as it were, for two reasons. One, because our policy seems to be to buy up every available 'world class' player in the 15-18 year old age range. Something that will inevitably pay off so far as the first team goes, in the next half a dozen seasons. And two, because investing in quality youth imports - who are expensive for their age, but cheap in the grander scheme of things - will mean that our days of spending 30 million quid on over the hill players such as Sheva, will be largely behind us.

We'll always be a 'buying' club though, I suspect. Because I can't see our youth players forming the starting 11 any time soon. But if we can only unearth one 20 year old 'Messi' every few seasons from our youth system, then we will be on very solid ground indeed moving forward.

Yours from the world of glasses half full.

Brian M

[Qaz]

There are maybe 100 players at Chelsea at all levels max, probably less. Yet there are more like 100,000+ registered professional footballers accross the globe (that is just senior professional footballers not youth team players).

The odds of having a Messi (who is a one in a billion player) in your ranks is very slim, even at a big club like Chelsea.

[Guest Brian M]

As if to back up what I said in my initial post, here's Kenyon on the subject...

Kenyon: Chelsea will continue to spend big in market

Chelsea chief Peter Kenyon insists they will still spend big in the transfer market if necessary.

Kenyon told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek: "I don't think they're over but in our first year we went £128million and in these accounts we've spent net £11million. We made a huge investment initially in order to become successful.

"We want to remain successful so you'll still see us in the transfer market but we want to supplement that with our academy and developing younger players. By 2009 or 2010 that is when our first crop of players will come through.

"But if there is a player out there and he's a quality player and he will add to what we've got, Chelsea will be in the market."