{"id":660971,"date":"2025-10-28T10:37:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T14:37:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=660971"},"modified":"2025-10-28T10:37:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T14:37:27","slug":"chelsea-wonderkid-football-manager-26-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2025\/10\/28\/chelsea-wonderkid-football-manager-26-ranked\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Chelsea Wonderkid in Football Manager 26 Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It is that time of year again as Football Manager has released its beta for the new release. This has allowed us access to their database of players and with it the emergence of a new wave of wonderkids and prospects from across the football world. In this article, we will be listing and ranking every Chelsea wonderkid in the game from some academy unknowns to gems in the first team.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2025\/10\/07\/best-chelsea-players-number-16-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Best Chelsea Players to Wear the Number 16 Jersey Ever<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Ranking Every Chelsea Wonderkid in FM26<\/h2>\n<h3>27. Chizzy Ezenwata<\/h3>\n<p>Starting with a 16-year-old, Chizzy Ezenwata is a striker with a decent potential rating in the game. In reality, the youngster has worked his way into the England youth setup and, as of this writing, has netted seven goals in six U18 Premier League appearances.<\/p>\n<h3>26. Ibrahim Rabbaj<\/h3>\n<p>Another 16-year-old, this time an attacking midfielder who can play across the front line, Ibrahim Rabbaj has a similar peak to his ratings as the other academy names on this list. He&#8217;s already been subject to a battle between England and Morocco for him to represent them at youth level, as he has played for both.<\/p>\n<h3>25. Tyrique George<\/h3>\n<p><a id=\"s7YgcoVvTNxDRB1GXJVBtw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2242651777\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'s7YgcoVvTNxDRB1GXJVBtw',sig:'w4_uPGsftenySm9PhAMpcot5aV0y-Qs2_EalbMltibo=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2242651777',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly low for a first-team player, Tyrique George broke into the senior squad for the Europa Conference League matches last term. He has been used in the current campaign as a striker or winger and grabbed his first Champions League goal against Ajax. This hasn&#8217;t represented a high potential rating in FM26 as he is projected to peak a level below the elite attackers.<\/p>\n<h3>24. Mathis Eboue<\/h3>\n<p>A relatively under-the-radar signing from January, Mathis Eboue joined the Blues from Watford and has scored twice in the new U18 Premier League season. He has a similar potential rating to the others around him on the list.<\/p>\n<h3>23. Charlie Holland<\/h3>\n<p>A 2009-born talent in midfield, Charlie Holland is mainly a defensive midfielder and has been featured prominently for England&#8217;s U16 squad. He&#8217;s one of the many trying to earn minutes for the developmental side of Chelsea but has impressively been playing up in age a bit in the U18 league.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2025\/08\/09\/estevao-new-chelsea-tactical-xavi-simons\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Estevao Unlocks New Chelsea Tactical Evolution<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>22. Kiano Dyer<\/h3>\n<p>At 18, Kiano Dyer is one of the older names this low on the ranking and plays as a defensive or central midfielder. He has been capped for England all the way through youth leveks and currently is out on loan trying to earn his spot at Eredivisie side Volendam. His potential seems a bit low for someone already getting a taste of senior football.<\/p>\n<h3>21. Reggie Walsh<\/h3>\n<p>One of the more shocking names here, Reggie Walsh has become a favourite of Enzo Maresca, haveing played some minutes in both the Champions League and Europa Conference League. This trust from the manager hasn&#8217;t translated to the current Football Manager database as he&#8217;s projected to peak at the same level as Dyer, George, and Holland.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>20. Landon Emanalo<\/h3>\n<p>Landon Emanalo, son of former Blues employee Michael Emanalo, has a pretty similar attribute range as the others listed below him. His big benefit is the positional versatility as the game has him as a left-back, defensive midfielder, and central midfielder.<\/p>\n<h3>19. Lewi Richards<\/h3>\n<p>Another 16-year-old, Chelsea are clearly blessed with youth and Richards is defensive prospect with a similar versatility to Emanalo. He can play as a right-back normally, pushed up as a right wing back, or as a centre-back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2025\/07\/22\/best-chelsea-players-number-10-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Best Chelsea Players to Wear the Number 10 Jersey Ever<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>18. Ishe-Samuels Smith<\/h3>\n<p>Another one with a surprisingly low potential. Ishe-Samuels Smith was good enough to warrant a summer move to Strasbourg, before being sent back and loaned out to Swansea where he&#8217;s only made one appearance so far. He is someone who could be much higher in future games.<\/p>\n<h3>17. Freddy Bernal<\/h3>\n<p>A goalkeeping prospect at just 16. Freddy Bernal has signed a professional contract already and is the main goalkeeper in both the UEFA Youth League and U18 Premier League. He has pretty solid potential as far as goalkeepers go in game and could be a top shot-stopper for a team outside the top five leagues.<\/p>\n<h3>16. Mamadou Sarr<\/h3>\n<p><a id=\"dTnsD66pSNtmOqfmpFZEMA\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2234892296\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'dTnsD66pSNtmOqfmpFZEMA',sig:'SItJNtniIrjMhiLdS079hEv1nDIFnylBvOvBASROU3c=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2234892296',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Strasbourg starter Mamadou Sarr is criminally underrated in this game but he has the physical attributes and profile to be a burden to opponents. A tall, agile defender who is capable of playing out from the back and is left-footed to boot. Sarr will almost certainly be boosted in the winter update but for now he&#8217;s the best of the mid-potential crop.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>15. Shumaira Mheuka<\/h3>\n<p>One of the standout strikers in the Chelsea system, Shumaira Mheuka has sniffed the frist team a bit over the past season, getting a run out in the EFL Cup, and Conference League. At youth level, he is a proven goalscorer, currently having 10 goals in 10 matches. He is also prolific for the England U19 team. The game has given him a strong ceiling, having his peak on par with Marc Guiu, Chido Obi, and Shaqueel Van Persie.<\/p>\n<h3>14. Marc Guiu<\/h3>\n<p>Another striker prospect, Marc Guiu was a smart signing from La Masia and recently nabbed his first Champions League goal. His pressing ability and physicality make him the prototypical modern day attacker. He is possibly being undersold as his potential is considered on par with Mheuka and lower than Dastan Satpayev<\/p>\n<h3>13. Omari Kellyman<\/h3>\n<p>After signing from Aston Villa, Omari Kellyman was something of a forgotten man as persistent injuries meant he didn&#8217;t feature much for his first year after the switch. He is currently on loan at Cardiff City where he has gotten minutes while looking quite promising.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2025\/10\/27\/paul-merson-mikel-arteta-arsenal-comparison\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Paul Merson Hails Mikel Arteta\u2019s Arsenal with Stunning Chelsea Parallel<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>12. Kendry Paez<\/h3>\n<p>Kendry Paez was signed on a pre-agreement with some hype from South America but was sent to play fro Strasbourg for a season after his arrival in England. He&#8217;s getting consistent minutes in a top European league but the hype around him fading has led to his potential being just a step below his contemporaries like Arda Guler, Claudio Echeverri, and others.<\/p>\n<h3>11. Ryan Kavuma-McQueen<\/h3>\n<p><a id=\"xo1ACbOMQYVus-tTWiAocg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2234521294\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'xo1ACbOMQYVus-tTWiAocg',sig:'vzkwlhlzRjVvrQ9X7dr9WjINegOb6RbwWFFH15eXZVI=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2234521294',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Ryan Kavuma-McQueen is an impressive winger prospect, he at just 16, has already been allowed to play up at U21 level and features in the Premier League 2. He impressed a lot for England&#8217;s youth setup, having 5 goals in 3 appearances for the U17 team. His sky-high potential at 16 is a major indication of his ability.<\/p>\n<h3>10. Dario Essugo<\/h3>\n<p>Signed from Sporting with a pretty heft ask of being a replacement for Moises Caicedo, Essugo had to be a good player to even be given such a job. Injury has taken him out of commission making it difficult to assess his actual abilities at a high level but he still has great potential in the newest Football Manager title.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>9. Aaron Anselmino<\/h3>\n<p>Signed as a promising talent from Boca Juniors, a poor loan spell into injury tok away some of the hype from the modern ideal CB. Another physical player who can play out from the back, Anselmino is projected to be a top-level defender on the level of Vitor Reis. He is currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund to earn himself a spot in the first team.<\/p>\n<h3>8. Josh Acheampong<\/h3>\n<p>As he&#8217;s shown in the first team, Josh Acheampong is a defender of the future. He is capable of playing as a right-back and centre-back, he is comfortable on the ball and carrying out from defense, and he has the physical stature to be a handful for anyone. He is projected to be one of the best right-backs in the game and a top-tier central defender.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Mike Penders<\/h3>\n<p>According to FM26, Mike Penders will be one of the best goalkeepers in world football. Only a dice roll will seperate him from other highly touted prospects like Dennis Seimen, Guillaume Restes, Tommaso Martinelli, and Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Jorrel Hato<\/h3>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, Jorrel Hato arrives after being a regular starter for Ajax as one of the Blues&#8217; best prospects in the game. Hato has some strong competition as this year&#8217;s game has Leny Yoro, Pau Cubarsi, and Dean Huijsen on course to being all-time greats with their potential, he comes in just below them but will still be one of the elite centre-backs in the game if he hits his full potential.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h3>5.Dastan Satpayev<\/h3>\n<p><a id=\"RX_pHYR9REZJUcr-OLZKdA\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2235217181\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'RX_pHYR9REZJUcr-OLZKdA',sig:'_L4BT_3ftRxoOd3gakBpG9XD_nse3hCkGimeHr5NJy8=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2235217181',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<p>FC Kairat&#8217;s Dastan Satpayev is one of the most promising Chelsea wonderkids of all. Signed almost out of nowhere on a pre-agreement the youngster has been a major part of Kairat reaching the Champions League group phase, a historic occasion for the side from Kazakhstan. His on-field play and clinical ability in front of goal make him one of the highest-potential strikers in the title.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Geovany Quenda<\/h3>\n<p>Officially not yet a Blues player, Geovany Quenda will join in the summer of 2026. Since the move was announced earlier in 2025 the winger has seen his stock fly through the roof thanks to impressive performances for Portugal&#8217;s youth team and Sporting&#8217;s senior team. In this year&#8217;s edition, he is considered to have the same ceiling as Yankuba Minteh, Ethan Mbappe, and others.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2025\/07\/18\/best-chelsea-players-number-9-jersey\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Best Chelsea Players to Wear the Number 9 Jersey Ever<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>3. Alejandro Garnacho<\/h3>\n<p>Just about falling into the conditions to be a wonderkid, Alejandro Garnacho is understandably one of the most promising wingers in the game after being a first team regular for Manchester United for a few years. He will, by the game&#8217;s potential rating, be just below the best of the best wingers in world football.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Jamie Gittens<\/h3>\n<p>Joining from Borussia Dortmund with a lot of buzz Jamie Gittens is projected to be one of the best wingers in Football Manager. Only Kenan Yildiz is considered to be on his level on the left, beating out a tonne of prospects like Jeremy Monga, Mikey Moore, and Malick Fofana among others.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Estevao<\/h3>\n<p>Last but not least, we have one of the best wonderkids in the entire game. Very few players have the potential highs of Estevao with his rating being equalled by only Lamine Yamal, Endrick, and Ayyoub Bouaddi. We all have seen Estevao&#8217;s talents especially after his game-winner over Liverpool. The hype is there, the talent is there, and he stakes his claim as the best Chelsea wonderkid of them all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Featured Image Credit<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_650465\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-650465\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-650465 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/imago1057114521h-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Chelsea wonderkid ranking - Josh Acheampong pictured advancing with the ball from defense\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/imago1057114521h-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/imago1057114521h-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/imago1057114521h-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/imago1057114521h-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/imago1057114521h-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/imago1057114521h-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/01\/imago1057114521h-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-650465\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">IMAGO \/ Pro Sports Images<br \/>Crystal Palace v Chelsea Premier League 04\/01\/2025. Chelsea defender Josh-Kofi Acheampong 34 during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Chelsea at Selhurst Park, London, England on 4 January 2025. London Selhurst Park Greater London England Editorial use only DataCo restrictions apply See www.football-dataco.com , Copyright: xToyinxOshodix PSI-21199-0091<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is that time of year again as Football Manager has released its beta for the new release. This has allowed us access to their database of players and with it the emergence of a new wave of wonderkids and prospects from across the football world. In this article, we will be listing and ranking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2013,"featured_media":650465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,11,2],"tags":[9228,32456,9736,32344],"class_list":["post-660971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-chelsea","category-featured","tag-alejandro-garnacho","tag-estevao","tag-kendry-paez","tag-mike-penders"],"modified_by":"Alex Richards, LWOF Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2013"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660971"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":660977,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660971\/revisions\/660977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}