Most valuable teenage footballers ranking shows Chelsea approach is paying off
Chelsea’s investment in young talent is bearing fruit, with the club now boasting three of the 11 most valuable teenage footballers in the world, according to a new academic study.
Barcelona and Spain superstar Lamine Yamal, 18, is streets ahead at the top of the list compiled by the CIES Football Observatory, with a valuation of €349.6m (£307.9m).
But Chelsea’s Brazilian winger Estevao Willian, 18, is second in the ranking, valued at €118.1m (£104m), following his impressive start to his career at the Blues.
Also in the top 10 is Portuguese youngster Geovany Quenda, 18, who is contracted to join Chelsea from Sporting Lisbon at the end of the season in a deal struck earlier this year.
Quenda is valued at €80.2m (£70.6m), while Dutch defender Jorrel Hato, 19, who signed for Chelsea from Ajax in the summer, is 11th with a valuation of €67.1m (£59.1m).
Chelsea’s three players in the top 11 is more than any other club, although Barcelona have two of the top three in Yamal and defender Paul Cubarsi, 18, valued at €112.7m (£99.2m).
Chelsea reap rewards of gamble on youngsters
The west London Premier League club have invested £1bn in new players since the 2022 takeover led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
There has been a clear emphasis in buying young talent and signing them to long contracts such as Estevao and Hato, as a strategy for increasing the overall value of the squad.
Estevao has been a particular hit, scoring four goals in 15 appearances since his summer transfer from Sao Paulo-based Palmeiras.
Like Chelsea, Arsenal boast two players in the top 10 most valuable teenage footballers: midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, 18, and the versatile Myles Lewis-Skelly, 19, who are valued by CIES at €88.1m (£77.6m) and €84.8m (£74.7m).
Real Madrid’s new Argentinian wonderkid Franco Mastantuono and out-of-favour Brazilian Endrick are also in the top 10, as is Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery and Tottenham Hotspur’s Sweden international Lucas Bergvall.
The CIES Football Observatory’s player valuations use a statistical model that draws on regression analysis of real-life transfers.