Chelsea was once a major part of the English national team. That faded but the likes of Frank Lampard, Steve Holland, and more have changed that.
During England’s “Golden Generation”, Chelsea was a major contributor to the international side. John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Ashley Cole were not just called up; they were key figures in the spine of England. But as age caught those three, Chelsea contributed less and less to the national team. Chelsea’s contribution to England’s World Cup squad went from four in 2006 and 2010 to just two in 2014 and 2018.
Part of this was Chelsea turning away from buying English players when they did not have to. At the same time, Chelsea’s academy faced a drought after John Terry’s introduction. The fading away on the international stage was not unexpected.
But recent years have steadily changed that situation. It would be too simplistic to say Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Mason Mount, and Ross Barkley getting called up is down to Frank Lampard. This took a village and many individuals made Chelsea an English source again.
Obviously Ross Barkley is the outlier and the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and maybe Reece James would have seen call ups had they been more fit. But perhaps the easiest source of all of this was the trio of Neil Bath, Jody Morris, and Joe Edwards.
Neil Bath has been the mastermind for much of the academy’s success whereas Morris and Edwards played the hands on role of coaching many of these players. The rising success of the academy was down them and several others and it clearly caught the attention of the English national team set up.
England has been steadily reworking how their national system works in recent years. Development, and finding minutes for young players, became much more important. As this change in attitudes took place, Chelsea’s academy became one of the best in the country if not the world. And youth team coaches for England took notice.
Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland proved themselves a dynamic duo for the England U21s. Holland, knowing the Chelsea youth well, likely played a large role in Southgate calling them up. The combined success of the two and the players led the Football Association to turn to them when England required a new manager. Southgate and Holland have breathed new life into the English national team but they have not forgotten the players that got them where they are now.
But even all that was not fully enough to make Chelsea an English source. Loftus-Cheek had to go on loan to enter the national team picture. Hudson-Odoi got his full England debut before his Premier League start. For these youth to continue to earn English minutes, they had to do more than earn minutes in English youth set up. They needed club minutes.
This is where Lampard reenters the story. Would Southgate have called up Abraham, Tomori, and Mount had they not been some of the best English players in the Premier League this season? It is hard to say but because Lampard was willing to trust them, they were able to showcase their talent and leave Southgate with no other choice.
Abraham is the highest scoring English player in the Premier League this season. Tomori has jumped from the bottom of the depth chart to the top in a handful of games. Mount has slipped right into a top six side, out of position, and still done well. For the first time in years, Chelsea feels like a major part of the English national team again.
This did not happen by accident but it did take several key figures taking chances. Those chances were then taken by the players and now Chelsea is not only undergoing their own youth revolution; they are taking it international.