Chelsea’s squad for the new season could include more senior players developed by Manchester City than by the club’s own Cobham academy, according to BBC Sport.
The latest arrival is Morgan Rogers, described by the BBC as Chelsea’s club-record £117m signing. Rogers joined Manchester City from West Brom in 2019, left for Middlesbrough in 2023 for £1m, and had scored against Chelsea in the 2020 FA Youth Cup final.
Cole Palmer also scored for City in that 3-2 youth final win, while Liam Delap started in attack. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso’s squad also includes Romeo Lavia, Jamie Gittens and Tosin Adarabioyo, all of whom came through City’s youth system.
Together, Rogers, Palmer, Delap, Lavia, Gittens and Adarabioyo represent almost £300m in transfer fees paid by Chelsea since 2023. By comparison, Alonso is expected to have three permanent senior squad members developed at Cobham: Levi Colwill, Reece James and Josh Acheampong. Trevoh Chalobah remains at the club but is in advanced talks with Como.
BBC Sport says one reason for Chelsea’s interest is Palmer’s impact since his 2023 move from City for £40m plus £2.5m in add-ons. A former insider told BBC Sport that players from City understand high standards. Another factor is Joe Shields, who previously worked in City academy recruitment and now has a role in youth and senior recruitment at Stamford Bridge.
The report also points to football’s financial rules. Clubs can record fees for academy-developed players as pure profit under Premier League and Uefa accounting regulations, giving teams an incentive to sell homegrown talent.
Chelsea’s own academy has had major success, including five consecutive FA Youth Cup wins under earlier leadership and Uefa Youth League titles in 2015 and 2016. However, the club has also faced a transfer ban over youth recruitment breaches and is serving restrictions connected to historical offences from the Roman Abramovich era.
The BBC says Chelsea have recruited several former City staff members in recent years, while the once-fierce academy rivalry between the two clubs has softened as players and staff have moved between systems. Delap, reflecting on the rivalry in 2025, said the teams “hated each other in games” but that former opponents could now be friends off the pitch.
With former City academy graduates and staff now influential at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea will hope the approach can help deliver stronger results for both the senior side and the club’s youth development pathway.
