Meet Chelsea’s tricky Cobham hero destined to restore the pride of London
Chelsea have done plenty wrong over the years, from the Oligarch owners to the clueless consortium and everything between, but one constant positive has and always will be Cobham.
When you think about world class football academies, the obvious picks come to mind.
La Masia, Carrington, Ajax’s factory of talent are all well known and have long produced some of the game’s greatest talents. Even Arsenal’s Hale End gets its flowers.
Cobham, though, often gets overlooked. Perhaps it’s down to how ruthless Chelsea have been with their pool of talent over the years.
Perhaps it’s because they’ve long been big spenders and there’s always a shiny new toy ready to try and steal the show.
Perhaps it’s because these days the headlines continually surround the circus operating above the pitch at boardroom level.
Whatever it might be, no matter what situation they’ve found themselves in, Chelsea have always been able to lean back on their brilliant academy through the good and the bad.
That’s why we’re backing young Tyrique George to block out the noise, emerge from the cloud currently engulfing Stamford Bridge and fulfil the potential he’s been showing for Chelsea, to fire them back towards being the pride of London.
Having been with the storied academy since under-eight level, the London-born winger knows everything there is to know about being proper Chels – and being a baller.
Born in 2006, George is a versatile, right-footed attacker who primarily operates from the flank, but can also inflict damage from central positions with his wicked ball-carrying and sharp footwork.
The 2023-24 season saw him play at under-18 and under-21 level, while also catching the eye of now departed Mauricio Pochettino and making the first-team bench as Chelsea thrashed Everton 6-0.
Enzo Maresca, however, and has initiated the next stage of the highly-rated 18-year-old’s development. George made his senior debut in the Europa Conference League playoff round against Servette in August and was given another runout as the Blues breezed past Barnet in the League Cup.
One moment stands out from his highlights reel in the latter game – George should’ve come away from his second appearance with his first senior goal, but for a rather glaring miss.
Read between the lines, however, and you’ll notice one hell of a talent who’s simply waiting to be refined.
Tyrique George x Josh Acheampong vs Barrow
— Nathan (@CFC_Nathan_) September 25, 2024
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What’s most impressive about his cameo against Barnet is how naturally he took to the pace and strength of the game, drifting inside from the right flank when necessary and reading the patterns Maresca had laid out virtually seamlessly.
His link-up with fellow young baller Josh Acheampong is further proof that sometimes you don’t need to pull out the chequebook to appease fans and progress a squad, when there’s such brilliant raw talent ready and waiting for a chance.
George was by no mean perfect in his cameo, but the way he linked up with teammates in tight attacking areas, showcased glimpses of his fast feet and took up intelligent positions is seriously impressive and suggests he wouldn’t struggle at all if thrown into the first-team again.
Maresca was certainly impressed: “I was happy with him [George] and Josh. I thought they both did very well.
“These kinds of games, for them it is important to be brave, don’t be shy. It doesn’t matter if they make mistakes — it is fine.”
It might not always be pretty and the pathway might not always be linear, but Maresca is determined to restore Chelsea as the pride of London and spending hundreds of millions of pounds won’t be the way he does it.
George is the man to restore the feeling – it’s merely a matter of time.
By Mitch Wilks