Is this Chelsea's next great centre-back?

Subuloye has captained Chelsea's Under-21s in his four appearances so far this season [Getty Images] The latest centre-back to roll off the Cobham production line is Tayo Subuloye. Levi Colwill and Josh Acheampong are in Xabi Alonso's first-team squad while Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori and Trevoh Chalobah are among the former Chelsea academy products to be excelling elsewhere. Now Subuloye, 18, is knocking on the door of the first team, having trained in Alonso's group before the 3-0 defeat to Brentford. Subuloye featured heavily in a pre-season tour of Australia and Asia, getting 179 minutes of game time. The 6ft 5in defender played in front of 80,000 fans against Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney and completed 90 minutes in Malaysia in a fiercely contested 3-3 draw with local champions Johor Darul Ta'zim. It was his reward for captaining Chelsea's Under-18s to the southern and national titles, while also featuring for the title-winning Under-21s after becoming captain of the club's senior academy age group at the start of the 2026-27 season. The Sussex native began his football journey by playing at youth level for non-league side Eastbourne Borough, alongside elite academy All Stars. He attracted interest from academies including Chelsea, Arsenal and Fulham, but opted for a more local move to Brighton at Under-10 level. Two years later, at Under-12 level, Chelsea showed interest again and Subuloye decided to make the switch. He started out as a midfielder but Chelsea converted him into a defender - and that sort of versatility is often associated with the successful graduates of the club's academy. During pre-season, the vocal youngster played across the back line. An England youth international, he is also eligible to represent Nigeria through his parentage. Academy staff have also been impressed by his work off the pitch, with the defender achieving an A* in business studies alongside a successful season. In a recent club interview, Subuloye said of his involvement with the first team: "It was good exposure for me - because that's where I ultimately want to be." Under contract until 2030, Subuloye has internal backing as he targets his competitive Chelsea debut, following on from fellow academy graduates Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli and Reggie Walsh, who also heavily featured in pre-season. It could well be that this season a loan move helps him make the step to Chelsea's first team, as it did with Colwill, Chalobah and Tomori before him.