Chelsea have secured their latest crop of scholars to the club, with an event to celebrate the signings taking place at Stamford Bridge last week. Blues legend John Terry was in attendance as he announced his return to the club to work with the academy.
Each year the club announces their newest induction of scholars to continue their development with the club in July. This year the west London side were widely linked with adding players from elsewhere, such as Ethan Nwaneri, but saw a selection of players graduate from their under-16 side.
Players cannot sign professional terms until they turn 17, and must be offered a scholarship agreement to continue with the club. The 2023/24 group of players is smaller after a significant cohort remained with the club last term, when 16 players remained.
Chelsea have agreed deals with eight players on this occasion, after a number of stars considered their futures. Frankie Runham was one such player who was rumoured to be considering his future but has committed to the Blues.
The 16-year-old has already built a reputation from set-pieces and Runham netted in the UEFA Youth League last term as he made 16 appearances across the competition, the under-18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup.
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Similarly Kiano Dyer has committed to the club, after playing up through the age groups. The centre midfielder featured 23 times across the under-18 Premier League, UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup and netted twice.
Relatively recent additions in Leo Cardoso, who joined from West Brom in 2022 and has represented England and Portugal at youth level, and Shaun Wade who has been involved with England and Ireland set-ups, was brought to the club from Bristol City in 2021.
Kai Crampton has already shown his goalkeeping talents in first team training having been involved under Graham Potter, and follows in the footsteps of Ted Curd, Max Merrick and Luke Campbell remaining with the club last summer.
The Blues have also retained plenty of defensive talent in Marcel Washington, Saheed Olagunju and Genesis Antwi. Full-backs Washington and Antwi have both previously been present in England under-16 squads, while towering central defender Olagunju has already featured for the club's under-18 side.
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