Chelsea have had a number of top-quality players come through their ranks over the years.
While many of them have shined at the club, a fair few have slipped through the cracks and become successes elsewhere.
Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah and Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku are two examples of former Chelsea starlets who became bonafide stars elsewhere.
One player that Chelsea fans have struggled to come to terms with losing the most is Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian was touted for great things as a youngster when he signed for Chelsea in 2012 from Genk for £7 million.
However, he played only three matches for the Blues before being loaned to Werder Bremen, whom he eventually signed for permanently.
De Bruyne moved back to the Premier League with Man City where he’s developed into one of the best midfielders in the world.
So how did Chelsea miss out on such a gem?
The player has addressed the speculation, providing an insight into his final days at Chelsea, including how he spoke to then-Blues manager, Jose Mourinho.
“The truth is that I only ever spoke to [Mourinho] twice. The plan was always for me to go on loan for a bit.
He explained that it had always been intended for him to go out on loan but his second meeting with the boss convinced him that he wasn’t wanted at the club.
“Jose called me into his office in December, and it was probably the second big life-changing moment for me. He had some papers in front of him, and he said, ‘One assist. Zero goals. Ten recoveries’.
“It took me a minute to understand what he was doing. Then he started reading the stats of the other attacking forwards – Willian, Oscar, [Juan] Mata, [Andre] Schurrle. And it’s like – five goals, 10 assists, whatever.
“Jose was just kind of waiting for me to say something, and finally I said, ‘But some of these guys have played 15, 20 games. I’ve only played three. So it’s going to be different, no?’
“It was so strange. I was completely honest. I said, ‘I feel like the club doesn’t really want me here. I want to play football. I’d rather you sell me.’
“I decided to go away because I felt I didn’t have any chances of playing at the time. I didn’t see more opportunities coming so for me, it was the best decision to leave Chelsea and go to a situation where I felt I could start again.
“Did I expect it to go this way? Obviously not, because at that time it was a low point in my career but I never had any doubt in my abilities as a football player.
“I can’t think what is going to happen eight years down the line playing for City, in World Cups and all that stuff. It’s wonderful.”
