Recently, the BBC talked about Chelsea star George. They said that the reason why players can go directly to the first team from the youth training camp is inseparable from his hard training in private.
Chelsea youth training players usually have two common paths: breaking through, loaning, entering the first team or breaking through, loaning, and selling. The Blues have sent off more than 40 local players over the past decade and have earned £315 million by selling youth training talents in the past four seasons alone, £100 million more than Manchester City.
However, the new star George broke this trend. He can see how Colewell, Charoba and Rees James succeeded in the first team. George scored a goal against Fulham on April 20, when he was only 19 years and 75 days old, becoming the club's youngest scorer in the Premier League since Odoi scored against Burnley in January 2020.
George's breakthrough season included last season's League Cup match against Barrow and Morecum, a substitute against Arsenal and Brighton, and a 12 UEFA Europa League matchup, including a goal in the first leg of the quarterfinals in Legia, Warsaw.
George, 19, turned 19 in February this year, is breaking the traditional narrative of "Chelsea" with a spirit of dedication that is rare even in this era of youth development. The last Chelsea player who entered the first team from the youth training system without loan was one of his idols Odoi.
According to BBC Sports, George was a "middle-level" player at his age in Chelsea until he was about 10 years old. It was at that time that his father hired a goalkeeper and personal coach Sauber to improve his level.
On weekdays, George will train at Chelsea, and from the age of 13, he will compete with adult players every Friday in the nine-a-man matches at Vauxhall or Nine Elms Electric League in south London. He will train again on Saturday and join Saubers in analyzing videos of the game in the Electric League the night before before returning to Chelsea for the match Sunday.
Saubers told BBC Sports: "I used to spend hours on public transportation to work with George for two or more hours because I think I can help him. We spend hours of one-on-one, technical training and shooting practice, and I like him pushing himself very hard."
"When he plays with an 18-year-old, I will deliberately be a ‘bad’ referee and get him kicked down, but he has to stand up and grab the ball back. We will also do tactical training in his Friday game, which I think helps our young players become fearless, especially when they return to their age group."