How teenager George broke through Chelsea’s £1bn squad

Graduates of Chelsea Academy typically have one of the following well-trodden paths: breakthrough, loan, first team, or breakthrough, loan, sale.

The Blues have sold on more than 40 graduates for about £400 million in the last ten years, but Tyrique George’s most recent high-profile prospect has local talent like Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, and Reece James leading to first-team success.

Since Callum Hudson-Odoi scored against Burnley in January 2020, George’s strike against Fulham on April 20 at the age of 19 years and 75 days made him Chelsea’s youngest goalscorer in the Premier League.

The winger has played almost 600 minutes in 10 Conference League games, including a goal in the first leg win over Legia Warsaw in the quarter-final first leg against Barrow and Morecambe, as well as in Carabao Cup games against Barrow and Morecambe and in substitute league games against Arsenal and Brighton.

He appears well suited to face Djurgarden in the Conference League semifinal on Thursday, which could strengthen his standing.

George turned 19 in February, and he is reversing that old-fashioned “Chelsea” narrative thanks to a level of dedication that is unusual in a time of academic youth development.

Six months after signing new contracts with defender Josh Acheampong in June 2024, George was promoted from the academy team to the first team.

Numerous academy sources at Chelsea questioned the signing of a three-year contract with an optional fourth year.

Since the ownership change in 2022, there was speculation that he might be lost among the £1 billion in talent, which included another summer influx of talented young players.

George was given a chance by Chelsea’s head coach Enzo Maresca in the offseason, according to sources, and the Italian’s support contributed to his Stamford Bridge success.

Chelsea first saw George playing for TFA Totteridge FC in Whetstone.

At the age of eight, he enrolled in their development center program, where he met then-first team breakthrough stars Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Lewis Baker, and signed up for a fully fledged academy.

However, a source informed BBC Sport that George was a “middle” player in his age group up until about the age of 10.

George’s father hired a goalkeeper as well as a personal trainer, David “Gurus” Sobers, to improve both his game and his performance at Chelsea at the time.

George would begin his training with Chelsea in midweek, and starting at age 13, he would start playing in South London’s Vauxhall or Nine Elms Power League nine-a-side games.

Before returning to Chelsea on Sunday, he would practice on Saturdays once more and go over post-game analysis with Sobers from his Power League games the night before.

As I believed I could assist him, Sobers said, “I used to spend hours on public transportation taking two-hour or longer sessions with him.”

We would spend hours working on one-on-one, technical, and shooting drills, and I liked how much he exerted himself. When he played against 18-year-olds, I would be a “bad” referee, so he would be kicked, but he would have to step up and get the ball back.

We practiced tactics during these matches on Friday. I believe it helped our young players, as well as the players who are currently employed at Reading, West Ham, and Manchester City, overcome their fear, especially when returning to their own age group.

George spent a number of years training with Unique FA, an elite academy, with the caveat that he would only play with players who were a few years his senior.

Sobers continued to work with George and said that Ty’s persistence in doing the fundamentals and repetition inspired him.

He always wanted to work hard, but we didn’t force him; it was all about being exceptional while remaining humble.

In one of those South London games, George had a chance to meet with former Chelsea winger Jadon Sancho, who was on the verge of leaving Manchester City for Dortmund in 2017.

I and my dad were attending training, George said. We watched Sancho with his friends, and I remember Sancho’s highlights from that time.

I was nervous, but I did, and my dad told me to get a picture.

Tyrique George is a top man, top guy, and such a humble person, according to Sancho earlier in the season. Every chance that comes his way should be given to him.

Before making his Premier League debut in January, George gained experience from Europe’s third-tier competition and domestic cup competitions.

This season, he has now made 21 appearances across all competitions, including two goals, four assists, and one assist.

George stated in a December interview that “Enzo gives me a wonderful feeling.” He and I have been training together for the entire season.

Maresca impressed in his interviews with Chelsea about his player knowledge, including the academy, before joining the club. He will have known that George was nominated for goal of the season for a strike against Crystal Palace after racking up a total of 33 goals and assists last season.

According to those who have been in touch with George, he has had additional encouragement behind the scenes since the Boehly-Clearlake regime’s transition of ownership, with Joe Shields, director of recruitment and talent, cited as a key advocate behind-the-scenes.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s absence, which he is currently temporarily suspended, has undoubtedly helped George, who is also allegedly failing a drug test.

Colwill, a fellow academy graduate, said of George this month: “We know how good a player he is, so coming in and scoring hopefully gives him that confidence boost and hopefully he keeps pushing to try to get into our side.