Chelsea: 10 British Youngsters Who Deserve Their Chance At Stamford Bridge

7. Josh McEachran (CM)

Poor Josh McEachran. At any other club, he'd be pushing for a regular spot in the first XI by now and probably with at least one international cap to his name. Spotted in the reserves by Carlo Ancelotti, McEachran was given his first start as a wispy 17-year old in the Champions' League against MSK Zilina and immediately hailed as one of the great prospects in English football. After winning the club's Young Player Of The Year award and a new contract in 2011, things were looking rosy for young Josh's chances at becoming the first graduate of the Chelsea academy to make his mark on the first team. His progress continued into the 2011/12 season, scoring his first senior goal against Aston Villa and making a number of promising cameos from the bench, but the need for regular first team football and the overtures of then-Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers convinced him that six months picking up experience away from the club would be the logical next step. Unfortunately, Rodgers signed Glyfi Sigurdsson on loan almost immediately afterwards, leaving McEachran permanently benched and putting a nasty halt on his progress. A loan to Middlesbrough last year saw the old talent re-emerge, despite fatigue setting in for the latter part of his first full season. Unfortunately, by then he seemed victim of the 'out of club, out of mind' policy which similarly crippled the momentum of other gifted Chelsea youth like Michael Mancienne and Scott Sinclair. After token substitute appearances in Chelsea's 2013/14 pre-season, he is currently following in Chalobah's footsteps under Gianfranco Zola's tutelage at Watford. Despite his exile from Chelsea, his key talent is one the club desperately needs right now. His ability to split defences with incisive through balls from almost anywhere on the pitch would be a vital asset for a discordant Blues midfield desperately lacking creativity, and while there are aspects of his game which still need work (physical strength and attentiveness the most notable), the chance to make a second push for a slot in his native club's midfield could be the spark he needs to get his career back on track. Sadly, his chances aren't looking good, and a move to a mid-level Premier League club to rebuild seems the most likely option going forward. If anyone deserves another chance at Chelsea, it's him, but the sad truth is that he'll almost certainly end up as yet another outstanding young talent lost on the Chelsea scrapheap. Look to Jack Wilshere to see what could have been...