Reece James, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham all came through the Chelsea academy to play for the first-team, but their careers have all taken different paths in the last year or so.
All three came through the ranks together in the Chelsea academy and were all given the opportunity by Frank Lampard following his appointment in the summer of 2019. They were given key roles which saw the trio play their part in Chelsea securing a top four finish in the Premier League as well as reaching the FA Cup final, albeit ended in defeat to London rivals Arsenal at Wembley.
But in January 2021 the trio started to part ways. It was the beginning of the end as they went their own ways.
Advert
Frank Lampard's decision to make Tomori an outcast saw him sold just after he was sacked by the club following 18 months in charge. The now England international made the switch to Italy to join AC Milan on loan until the end of the season. He flourished and the Rossoneri activated their option to buy and he has gone from strength to strength, which has seen reports of talks of a new deal until 2026 at the San Siro surface with negotiations ongoing.
Abraham has taken a similar path to Tomori. Seven months after Tomori headed for the Serie A, so did the striker. This time it was under Thomas Tuchel's watch. After missing out in the Champions League final triumph, being left out of the matchday squad, Chelsea agreed a deal with AS Roma.
The 24-year-old left in a £34 million transfer and, like Tomori, hasn't looked back which sees him now work with former Blues boss Jose Mourinho. Chelsea do have a buy-back clause which kicks in next summer if they did want to re-sign the England striker.
Advert
"The easy option would’ve been to stick around and sit down," reflected Abraham back in November on his Stamford Bridge departure. "Chelsea’s a massive club, they will compete and try to win trophies, so the easy option would’ve been to do that.
"I realised that I needed go out and prove myself. I took a decision and it was the right one."
Since his move to Roma, he has netted 27 goals and racked up five assists in 53 appearances in all competitions, going on to win the Conference League at the end of last season.
That leaves Reece James. He remains at Chelsea, but in a very strong position. He has become one of Chelsea's most important players, evident during his injury absence over the New Year with a hamstring injury.
Advert
His long-term stay in west London is hoped to be extended by the club with contract talks set to get underway soon over a pay rise and extended deal, with the club confident of tying the academy graduate down amid interest from Manchester City and Real Madrid.
Tomori, Abraham and James have gone on to succeed individually and they are all now with the England squad for their Nations League qualifiers. They were together in training, pictured by England, highlighting what could have been if they all remained at Chelsea.
Topics: Chelsea, England, Football, Reece James, Tammy Abraham
