Cobham has been a prime producer of talent for Chelsea, with the Blues having an impressive record for supplying players for their first team but also the rest of the football pyramid. Few have rivalled the west London side in the last decade as the likes of Reece James have emerged from the Blues development programme.
Chelsea are still looking to harness such talent whether it be their latest crop of scholars, those providing depth for the senior team in the early stages of pre-season under the watchful eye of Mauricio Pochettino and more recently, an impressive crop of talent signed in their late teens and hoping to break into the first team.
It is no easy task to break into the first team however, and it is often understandable that Chelsea's talents first have to ply their trade on loan or in the development side. The challenge is for the Blues to find the right place for each.
Last term saw the likes of Lewis Hall, Carney Chukwuemeka and Omari Hutchinson make their Chelsea Premier League debuts, while Alfie Gilchrist made a squad in the competition too. The likes of Charlie Webster, now on loan at Heerenveen, starred for the under-21s, as did Hutchinson, Dylan Williams, Dion Rankine, Ben Elliott and Harvey Vale upon his return from loan at Hull, while Leo Castledine seems set to be a key member of that team moving forwards.
However, there are perhaps some players on the fast track to first-team football, though loans could see their development land elsewhere, and with lofty fees to some names already, they will be looking to prove their value.
football.london has detailed some of the prime candidates to make an impact at the senior level over the course of 2023/24, and you can place a vote for your favoured player at the bottom of the article.
Lewis Hall - An unsurprising name on this list having been named academy player of the season last term and looking a class act in his run in the first to close last term out. The 18-year-old proved time again he could compete at a Premier League level and will hope to kick on moving forwards after having been promoted for lengthy stints.
However, there remain questions. Hall shone at left-back for the Blues, but will face competition from Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella, while his preference is to play in the centre of midfield, as he mostly did for the development side in 2022/23. The youngster is ready for first-team football so could benefit from a loan.
Andrey Santos - Just one of many young and talented players Chelsea have signed in the last 12 months, Santos has brought plenty of hype after missing out on a visa to stay at the club in January. Having finished as the top goalscorer on his way to Brazil winning the under-20 South American Championship, Santos has also earned his first cap for the Selecao and captained the under-20 side in their World Cup campaign too.
Having arrived in London, the moment seems right for Santos to acclimatise, but given the departure of so many Blues midfielders so far, could find himself pretty close to Mauricio Pochettino's first team plans should he impress in pre-season.
Cesare Casadei - It's impossible to not mention the Italian under-20 captain who followed in the footsteps of Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland to win the under-20 World Cup Golden Boot as his side finished runners-up in the tournament. Oh, and the 20-year-old won the Golden Ball too.
Having started to adapt to English football and scored some stunning goals with the development squad at the beginning of last season, Casadei had a more testing time with Reading in his Championship loan. The likes of Juventus have been linked with making a move as the midfielder looks to step up a gear, with the possibility of Premier League loans also mentioned. Perhaps a top-end Championship loan may guarantee more minutes, but his World Cup performances have left plenty to be excited about.
Gabriel Slonina - The goalkeeper has not long turned 19 and already made 43 senior appearances across two seasons with Chicago Fire. Another under-20 World captain, Slonina is authoritative on the field and has shown some impressive saves since arriving in west London and performing for the development side in Premier League 2. The shotstopper was drawn to Chelsea because of the club's plan, and following the departure of Edouard Mendy it remains to be seen if that could be as a back-up goalkeeper or if a loan is waiting in the wings when the youngster returns from the US men's national team's gold Cup run.
Carney Chukwuemeka - Perhaps unusual in this position given his fairly immediate introduction to the first-team squad after signing from Aston Villa last summer. The midfielder struggled for minutes however, and will hope to be given greater opportunities under Pochettino, even if the club could be open to a loan move. That the Blues paid £20million for his services says a great deal of his talent, but with only 345 minutes in the Premier League last term, he will feel there is still much to prove.
