On September 3rd 2009, Chelsea received unwanted news in their letter box. FIFA would be banning them from signing players in the two upcoming transfer windows after allegedly tapping up a young Frenchman by the name of Gael Kakuta.
Now 21, the youngster joined Chelsea in 2007 aged 16 from Ligue 1 side Lens but the French club reported the Blues and Kakuta to FIFA for breach of contract.
Soon other clubs including Manchester United (for the signing of Paul Pogba from Le Havre) and Manchester City were also reported to FIFA for allegedly enticing teenagers from continental clubs.
But as we all know in hindsight, Chelsea had their ban overturned after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a decision FIFA and Lens accepted.
I have already touched upon the effect this influx of young foreign players will have on Irish teenagers who move to Premier League academies. But what effect does it have for those foreign players?
Chelsea, Man United, City, Arsenal and Liverpool have all scoured the markets for young players in Europe and further afield.
Pointless exercise
But take Chelsea as an example of the pitfalls for these youngsters. Their scouts bring in young players from clubs like Feyenoord, yet it seems a pointless exercise as so few go on to make an impression on the first team.
While Didier Drogba was at the club he took Kakuta under his wing. But unfortunately none of Chelsea’s “interim” managers could afford to do that with the pressure they were under.
Since the youngster arrived at Stamford Bridge, he has only made six league appearances in six years despite being one of the top young players in the world in his age group during his mid-teens.
Of course, he is only 21 but one gets the impression that he is only an afterthought in Chelsea’s plans as his progression seems to have stalled.
He has been shipped out on loan to gain experience in recent seasons but with the chronic instability at the club caused by Roman Abramovich’s itchy trigger finger, there is no guarantee that future Chelsea managers will be counting on him.
Ruud Gullit lookalike Nathan Ake joined Chelsea almost two years ago
The Blues have also plundered Dutch football extensively in recent years. They currently have Feyenoord youth products Nathan Ake and Jeffrey Bruma on their books, as well as ex-PSV youngster Patrick Van Aanholt.
Under Rafa Benitez, 18-year-old defender Ake has been given brief opportunities in the Europa League and FA Cup since he put pen to paper in 2011. But Benitez will be gone in May and there is no guarantee that the next manager can afford to be as patient.
Ake should look at Bruma and Van Aanholt’s development as an example for his own future prospects. Bruma joined Chelsea in 2007 aged 16, but has only made nine appearances for the club. He has spent the last two seasons on loan at HSV Hamburg and although he has been capped for Holland four times, it is unlikely that he will be given many opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
Likewise, 22-year-old Van Aanholt also joined the Blues in 2007, but with just two appearances for Chelsea he has spent virtually all of the last four years on loan at various English and Dutch clubs.
It can be almost impossible for young teenagers and their families to turn down big-money moves to Premier League clubs. Although Kakuta, Van Aanholt and Ake might not admit it publically, perhaps they regret moving to a club like Chelsea at such a young age.
If they had played the waiting game, they may well have reached their original clubs’ first teams and any subsequent transfers would see them move with better CVs and reputations that would give them a better chance of first team football.
Their native countries also lose out. France and Holland had high hopes for Kakuta, Bruma and Van Aanholt but those players’ careers have stalled at crucial periods, which affects the pool of players for those national teams.
