What happened to the three brothers who signed for Chelsea from Luton in 2012

It was labelled by Luton's head of youth Gregg Broughton as a "historic" deal in the money-happy world of professional football; but what happened to the Dasilva brothers?

On January 17, 2012, twins Rio and Cole Dasilva, 12, as well as their 13-year-old sibling Jay, would join the ranks at Premier League side Chelsea after impressing in Luton's youth system.

All three brothers featured for an U11 team that beat Bayern Munich youth at the 2009 Aarau Masters final – and their progression continued to the point where clubs began to express an interest.

Two years later, following the club's defeat in the 2011 play-offs, Luton were told that the trio "wished to look at other options". After six months of uncertainty, a move to Stamford Bridge materialised.

At the time, then-National League side Luton said a deal with the Blues could potentially reach £1 million based on whether the brothers would feature for Chelsea's first-team.

"I am hesitant to talk about the boys in the collective term because they have all have wonderful unique attributes," Broughton said. "But this is a historical deal to see three brothers transferred together."

Broughton would later describe the characteristics of Rio, Cole and Jay.

"Jay is a special talent, a fantastic student of the game whose temperament complements his technical ability," he said. "Cole has strong physical attributes and is very comfortable in possession while Rio is a real livewire, whose ability to play in tight areas has always allowed him to shine."

He added: "We never like to lose talented players from the club, but if players are unsettled and wish to look elsewhere, and the deal is right for all parties, then it is the most sensible way to progress."

Now, a decade on from the "historic" deal, all three Dasilva brothers are playing for different clubs after failing to make a senior appearance at Chelsea. But where are they now?

To kick things off, Rio Dasilva spent four years in the Chelsea academy before leaving in 2016. He would then spend a year at Dunstable Town before joining Southern League Premier Division Central side Hitchin at the start of the 2020/21 campaign.

The midfielder, 24, is still on the books at seventh tier Hitchin, who will come up against Needham Market on Tuesday night.

Image credit: Hitchin Town FC

Jay Dasilva, meanwhile, has arguably enjoyed a more successful career than both of his siblings.

While at Chelsea, he failed to make a first-team appearance but lifted two UEFA Youth League titles. He also became one of the only players in history to win three FA Youth Cups.

After spending seven years at Stamford Bridge, the defender joined Championship side Bristol City after two loan spells at Charlton. He also represented England at U16, U17, U18, U19, U20 and U21 level.

Jay recently signed a four-year deal with Championship side Coventry City after spending four years at Bristol City, where he made over 100 appearances.

Image credit: Getty

Finally, full-back Cole Dasilva spent six years in the Chelsea academy before joining Brentford B in 2018.

He made 41 appearances and scored seven goals during the 2018/19 campaign, and was a part of the team which won the 2018–19 Middlesex Senior Cup.

Then, after a brief period with Leicester, he joined Croatian top flight side HNK Sibenik in 2021 before returning to England a year later with National League South club Oxford City.

Cole, who represented Wales U21 between 2017 and 2019, currently plays for Southern League First Division Central side Biggleswade Town after spells at Hemel Hempstead Town and Royston Town.

Image credit: Getty