It’s well known that Nathan Ake and Declan Rice were two players who didn’t quite cut it with the Chelsea first-team from the youth ranks but have since gone on to have successful careers elsewhere.
This list will look at three former Chelsea players who have gone on to have successful careers but whom the club won’t really lose sleep over losing.
Neil Etheridge
The Birmingham City goalkeeper joined the Blues in 2003 when he was a center-forward before being asked to slot into goals. After spending three years with the Blues, Etheridge went on to play for Fulham in 2006 and launched his professional career at Craven Cottage two years later.
Though he has spent most of his career playing in League One and Championship, Etheridge did get his chance in the Premier League in 2018/19 with Cardiff City. He was unable to save the Bluebirds from relegation but was one of their best players as he went on to play in all 38 of their Premier League games.
Andy King
King who was part of the Leicester City side that won the Premier League in the 2015/16 season joined Chelsea in 1998 when he was just nine. He left for Leicester City in 2004 and went on to remain with the Foxes until the summer of 2020.
Interestingly, King was part of the Leicester City side as they navigated through League One, the Championship, and Premier League. Not many players can say that they played for one club in three different divisions.
All in all, he made 379 senior competitive appearances for Leicester, chipping in with 62 goals.
Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson
Guðmundsson trained with Chelsea for a short time in 2006 but could not adapt to life at the club. He ended up joining Fulham that same year and remained with them for two years before moving to his native Iceland to launch his professional career with Breiðablik.
The winger earned a move to Burnley in 2016 after an impressive showing with Iceland in the European Championships held that summer and has never looked back as he has gone on to become a key player for the Clarets.
