Meet Chelsea's Youngest Players to Debut in the Premier League

Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli became Chelsea’s youngest-ever Premier League player last week. He came off the bench in the London derby against Brentford. At the time, he was 16 years and 255 days old. This makes him the second 16-year-old to debut for Chelsea this season.

Nicoll-Jazuli and another Academy midfielder, Reggie Watson, were part of Xabi Alonso’s plans during pre-season. They both made their competitive debuts recently. With their appearances, they are now the eighth and ninth 16-year-olds to play for Chelsea’s first team in competitive matches.

Here is the full list of Chelsea’s youngest competitive debutants as shared on the club’s website on Wednesday.

Ian Hamilton, 16 years 138 days
Ian is still the youngest player in Chelsea’s history. He made his senior debut in a league match against Tottenham at White Hart Lane in March 1967. He scored Chelsea’s goal in a 1-1 draw. It was the first of five games he played for the Blues.

Kingsley Whiffen, 16 years 157 days
Kingsley, a Welsh goalkeeper, was called up for the last league game of the 1966/67 season. Manager Tommy Docherty rested Peter Bonetti for the FA Cup final. This was Kingsley’s only match for Chelsea.

Reggie Walsh, 16 years 193 days
Reggie was a key player in Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League squads during the 2024/25 season. He made his debut from the bench in the 88th minute of the away win against Djurgården.

Reggie Watson, 16 years 226 days
Watson started his debut in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup match against Leeds United at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea came back from 2-0 down to win 6-3 in an exciting match.

Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, 16 years 255 days
Mahdi made his debut last Friday, replacing Valentin Barco late in the Premier League match against Brentford.

Tommy Langley, 16 years 274 days
Tommy, a lifelong Chelsea fan, debuted in November 1974. He played 152 matches and scored 43 goals over six seasons, making him the most capped player on this list.

Michael Woods, 16 years 275 days
Michael debuted as a substitute in a big FA Cup win against Macclesfield in January 2007. He played once more in that competition before leaving the club in 2011.

John Sparrow, 16 years 283 days
John broke into the first team during the 1973/74 season. He played for Chelsea across six seasons, scoring twice in 74 games before moving to Exeter City in 1981.

Michael Harrison, 16 years 360 days
Michael debuted against Blackpool in April 1957, just before his 17th birthday. The left winger made 64 appearances for the club before joining Blackburn Rovers in 1962.

The rise of Academy talents under Xabi Alonso shows that Chelsea has a strong history of giving chances to young players.