Where the last 10 Chelsea Academy Player of the Year award winners are playing now as Harvey Vale exits club
Harvey Vale officially completed a move away from Chelsea on Monday’s transfer deadline day as he joined Championship club Queens Park Rangers on a permanent basis.
The Chelsea academy deserves massive credit for producing so many future stars every year. However, many of the Blues academy graduates end up carving out first-team careers elsewhere.
Harvey Vale, 21, has become the latest off the Chelsea production line to leave them permanently by joining QPR yesterday on a long-term deal as he searches for regular first-team action.
Vale admitted he’s looking for a permanent home after joining QPR, so we wish him the best of luck with his journey in the game.
The last 10 winners of Chelsea’s Academy Player of the Year award
There are some big names on the list of Chelsea’s previous winners of their Academy Player of the Year award. Back in 2022, Vale was actually the recipient of the individual prize.
Here is a look at the previous 10 winners of the club award:
| Year | Winner |
| 2015 | Dominic Solanke |
| 2016 | Fikayo Tomori |
| 2017 | Mason Mount |
| 2018 | Reece James |
| 2019 | Conor Gallagher |
| 2020 | Billy Gilmour |
| 2021 | Tino Livramento |
| 2022 | Harvey Vale |
| 2023 | Lewis Hall |
| 2024 | Alfie Gilchrist |
Where are they now?
Dominic Solanke – Tottenham
Dominic Solanke, 27, has played at several Premier League clubs in his career, which is why many people may not remember he actually started out his development at Chelsea and emerged at Cobham as a talented youngster a decade ago.
The striker has scored 11 goals in 29 appearances across all competitions for Spurs this year during his debut season with them so far.
Interestingly, Chelsea were put off re-signing Solanke last summer because they thought he was too expensive at £65m.
Fikayo Tomori – AC Milan
Fikayo Tomori has been impressing in Italian football ever since he moved to the San Siro to play for AC Milan in 2021.
The 27-year-old central defender played 27 first-team games in Chelsea colours, but he’s on 164 appearances and counting for Milan.
Mason Mount – Manchester United
It upset a lot of Blues supporters when Mason Mount was sold to Manchester United in 2023. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old attacking midfielder’s time at Old Trafford so far has been hugely wrecked by injury.
Chelsea fans do at least have fantastic memories of him winning the Champions League with them back in 2021.
In 195 Chelsea appearances, Mount scored 33 goals and created 35 assists. Based off impact and ability, he’s definitely one of the club’s best ever academy successes.
Reece James – Chelsea
From the 10 previous winners of Chelsea’s Academy Player of the Year prize, Reece James is the only individual playing in the current Blues squad. The top-class right-back is the club captain, too.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca claims James is improving as a leader as he sets the tone for such a young group.
Hopefully, the 25-year-old defender can keep himself fit because everyone knows just how good he is as a player when he’s on the pitch. Similar to Mount, he’s in the conversation for Chelsea’s best academy story since club legend John Terry.
Conor Gallagher – Atletico Madrid
Conor Gallagher was sold to Atletico Madrid last summer, which definitely didn’t go down well with a large section of the Blues fanbase. So far this season, he’s made 28 Madrid appearances across all competitions as he adapts to life in Spain.
The 24-year-old box-to-box midfielder has Chelsea running through his blood and is definitely the type of academy graduate you want within the squad.
Chelsea’s sale of Gallagher should go down as one of Todd Boehly’s biggest mistakes.
Billy Gilmour – Napoli
Chelsea sold Billy Gilmour to Brighton back in 2022 after 22 games in Chelsea colours.
Now, the 23-year-old Scottish midfielder is a Napoli player after joining the Italians last summer.
On paper, he’s the type of profile that would be ideal in Enzo Maresca’s currrent squad, which you could say about many other academy graduates as well.
Tino Livramento – Newcastle United
Chelsea allowed Tino Livramento to join Southampton back in 2021 after developing him into a really exciting young right-back.
Now aged 22, he’s currently starring for Newcastle United ahead of Kieran Trippier in the starting XI.
Livramento admitted last year he’ll always love Chelsea because of his connection to the club.
Harvey Vale – QPR
As mentioned above, Vale completed a move to QPR this week to try kickstart his career to new heights.
The bad news is that the left-footed attacking midfielder is currently sidelined through injury for the rest of the season, so we’ll have to wait and see how his story unfolds.
Lewis Hall – Newcastle United
Similar to Livramento, Lewis Hall is a former Chelsea-owned talent now playing a key role in Eddie Howe’s Newcastle team.
The 20-year-old left-back has been excellent ever since his loan move to St James’ Park, which became permanent in 2024.
His exit is one that stings more than most because his potential is gigantic.
Alfie Gilchrist – Sheffield United (On loan)
Finally, Alfie Gilchrist is the most recent winner of the club’s Academy Award, so we’re intrigued to see if he can force his way into Maresca’s long-term plans.
The 21-year-old defender is impressing during a season-long loan with Sheffield United in the Championship right now, mainly playing as a right-back. There could be a big decision to make about his future when it comes to the summer because history suggests that selling him could turn out to be a mistake.
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