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Football London
Football London
Sport
Adam Newson

Chelsea blindspot highlighted by £20m transfer decision that has excited Todd Boehly

Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are in it for the long haul at Chelsea. It's why this summer the new ownership group have invested heavily in signing players for the future in addition to the here and now. And it hasn't been done on the cheap, either.

With guidance from the club's long-serving head of youth development Neil Bath and his assistant Jim Fraser, Eddie Beach was first to arrive from Southampton and Omari Hutchinson joined from London rivals Arsenal soon after. The fees for both players were undisclosed.

Gabriel Slonina was next to sign with the young American completing a deal from Chicago Fire worth up to £12 million on Tuesday. That was soon eclipsed by Chelsea agreeing a transfer that could reach £20million for Aston Villa wonderkid Carney Chukwuemeka. The 18-year-old has been handed a six-year contract by the Blues and is expected to be integrated into the first-team set-up.

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"Carney is one of the most exciting young players in Europe so we are really looking forward to seeing him in action at Stamford Bridge," said Boehly following the announcement of Chukwuemeka's signing. "We are delighted to be able to bring him to Chelsea and add such a talented young individual to our squad for the new season and beyond."

Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano, co-controlling owners and cofounders of Clearlake, added: "We are building for both the now and the future so signing one of the hottest teenage talents in English football fits with both those aims. Chelsea have shown young potential can be fulfilled at this club and under our ownership we are determined this will continue."

That is clear with Chelsea still in pursuit of Inter Milan midfielder Cesare Casadei; it may require a seven-figure fee to land the 19-year-old but the Blues remain undeterred. Further additions from English clubs will also be considered as Boehly, Eghbali and Feliciano continue to lay the foundations of their tenure.

Crucial to that is also Chelsea's academy. It's understood the new ownership group views it as one of the club's biggest assets and it will receive further investment as Bath pushes forward with Vision 2030, an ongoing, all-encompassing strategy that aims to keep the Blues at the forefront of youth development in the European game.

Chelsea have benefitted from the efforts of Bath and every member of the academy set-up. Reece James and Mason Mount played starring roles in a Champions League triumph. Trevoh Chalobah won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup in his debut campaign. Conor Gallagher is set for a first-team role this season.

There are plenty of others too. Ethan Ampadu and Billy Gilmour have never looked out of place when called upon by Chelsea. Armando Broja has been offered a first-team role for the campaign ahead. And then there are the likes of Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham, who made their mark before departing for sizeable transfer fees.

Not every academy graduate can make it at Chelsea; that argument is well-worn and frankly misses the point. The issue continues to be how the Blues integrate their own and whether a logical pathway is created. That is something that Boehly, Eghbali and Feliciano will need to work upon in the years ahead.

Levi Colwill is, naturally, the prime example this summer. The 19-year-old impressed on loan in the Championship last season and is ready for the step up to the Premier League. Yet instead of that being with Chelsea and with a clear progression plan mapped out, the centre-back is prepared to move on.

Chelsea will do their best to ensure that isn't a permanent departure. And if it is, they will push for a buyback clause to be inserted into any deal. But letting another club complete Colwill's development will come at a great cost and is at odds with that desire – as stated by Eghbali and Feliciano – to ensure "potential can be fulfilled at this club".

For years, Chelsea's homegrown stars went underappreciated. That has changed to an extent in recent seasons – and the players themselves certainly know their worth. But it will be on Boehly and Co. to ensure the pathway from academy to the first team is smoothed out so that the club will not watch their own flourish elsewhere.

Do that and then Chelsea's present and future will look very bright.

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