Chelsea had the “next Ashley Cole” at Cobham, but they let him go for £0

Chelsea in the 2010s were always a team to be feared in the Premier Leaguewith the club being the home to countless talents, helping them achieve various levels of success.

Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and John Terry were just three players who played pivotal roles during that era, helping the Blues win five league titles since the turn of the decade.

José Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Carlo Ancelotti have all led the club to league triumphs since 2000, but their last triumph came way back in 2016/17, with Enzo Maresca the latest man tasked with ending the drought.

The Italian has done superb work to lead the side into a top-four place heading into the closing stages of the campaign, but more work still needs to be done if they are to return to the summit.

He must wish he could rely on one player to provide the goods in the current side, especially after his previous success in the first team as a player at Stamford Bridge.

Ashley Cole’s stats as a player at Chelsea

Left-back Ashley Cole raised eyebrows way back in the summer of 2006, joining Chelsea and controversially leaving Arsenal in favour of a move to the West London outfit.

However, the move would allow the England international to take his career to the next level, becoming a vital member of the side over his eight years at the club.

The now-44-year-old featured over 320 times for the Blues, before leaving in the summer of 2014 after racking up a huge honours list – something which he wouldn’t have achieved had he stayed with the Gunners.

Cole won four FA Cups, and one league title, along with a Europa League and Champions League triumphwith his achievements undoubtedly cementing him as one of if not the best English full-backs ever.

However, fast-forward to the present day, the left-back position is a huge problem in world football, with the club making a huge mistake in allowing one player to leave – ending the chances of him following in Cole’s footsteps.

The former Chelsea star who was labelled the “next Ashley Cole”

In Maresca’s current first-team, Marc Cucurella has nailed down the left-back position in recent months, starting to show glimpses as to why the club forked out £62m for his signature.

The Spaniard has featured 27 times in the Premier League throughout 2024/25, scoring four goals and registering one assist, offering a threat at both ends of the pitch.

However, the hierarchy could’ve saved themselves millions by keeping hold of youngster Myles Lewis-Skellywho previously spent time on the books as a youngster, but was let go by the Blues after a trial period.

“Before I joined Arsenal, I knew Ethan Nwaneri because we were at Chelsea together and we’ve kind of gone up the ranks together. When I was offered a scholarship (at Arsenal) it was an amazing experience, especially to be offered it early. It was a dream come true. Lots of boys in the world would love that so I couldn’t ask for anything more really.” – Myles Lewis-Skelly.

He would subsequently leave and join London rivals Arsenal, rising through the ranks over recent years before making the jump into Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad this season.

The 18-year-old has already made 26 senior appearances despite his tender age, scoring his first professional goal in the 5-1 rout over defending champions Manchester City earlier this campaign.

His subsequent form in North London over the last couple of months has seen him receive an England call-up for Thomas Tuchel’s first side since taking over the reins – further indicating the mistake the Blues made in allowing him to leave.

Such form for the Gunners has seen Arsenal’s U16 coach Dan Micciche label the teenager as the “next Ashley Cole”, a huge statement that is evidence of his huge rise at the Emirates during his youth years.

There’s no denying that Cucurella has been a phenomenal player for Maresca in recent times, massively helping their ambitions of reaching the Champions League ahead of next season.

However, given the Blues’ eye for young talents in recent months, as seen by the pending moves for Dario Essugo and Geovany Quenda, they may have been better off keeping the teenager – fixing the problem position for many years to come.

Should he manage to get anywhere close to the levels Cole produced during his time at the Bridge, Lewis-Skelly will turn out to be one of the country’s great full-backs, making the decision to allow him to leave one of huge regret.