Homegrown wonderkid bucking the trend after Chelsea promotion - 'A little weird'
Tyrique George is the academy graduate making a big name for himself in Chelsea's billion pound squad. George is determined to follow in the footsteps of Reece James, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah who have all become stars in their own right after stepping off the Stamford Bridge production line.
But Chelsea 's big-spending sprees under joint owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have made it harder for homegrown players even through the club's academy is regarded as one of the best in Europe. They have made £315m from selling academy-developed talent in the last four seasons alone which is £100m more than Manchester City.
George, 19, is also bucking the trend - which he describes as being 'a little weird ' - of becoming a homegrown academy graduate to be promoted to the senior squad without going out on loan.
England under-19s starlet George scored his first senior goal in the Premier League in April and also made the bench for the Europa Conference League final. Even more impressively, George came on as a substitute and also scored in Chelsea's Club World Cup win over ES Tunis to guarantee their place in the last 16 against Benfica on Saturday.
George says it has been a battle to make his mark but is now determined to seize his opportunity starting in the United States this summer.
Versatile forward George said: 'It's a little weird that I was in the Under 21s and then straight into the first team. It's a nice change. It's good. I just want to work hard to play for the club. I'm not really focused on what's going on elsewhere. When you're at Chelsea, you just want to play.
'I always have belief, going into anything I do. I've just got to keep working hard. It's a bigger competition but hopefully I can get on top of that and get some minutes.
'Of course I'm proud, but I don't really take the time to think about it, just because everything's so fast-paced. I'm happy for myself.'
It has been a long journey for George and his family as he moved to Chelsea at 12, he uprooted from Camden in North London to Croydon so he could train at the club's Cobham training ground. Chelsea spotted him at eight and he admitted it was an 'emotional' move when he left his friends, the home he knew in Camden to pursue his dream when the everyday train journey with his mum Anita.
George said: 'I was emotional, if I'm being honest. All my friends were in North London, so me moving away, it did feel like a completely new area, a new city. It was tough, but as I said, it was probably worth it. I enjoyed it, to be fair.
'I was excited once I got there. I saw the kids and was excited just to go into the new school, to meet new people. It was closer to training so it wasn't too bad after a month or two.
'I didn't really want to move to South Croydon. Basically, my whole life was in North London in Camden. But it was a decision I had to make for my career. It was a good part of my journey.
'But I think it was the best decision I ever made, one of them definitely. I feel like I'm doing well for myself so I'm happy and I just have to continue.'
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