Ed Brand is the new Under-18s head coach following Andy Myers's step up to work with the development squad. Formerly a youth team captain as a player, the 32-year old has been coaching in our Academy for 10 years and previously worked with this age group as assistant to Jody Morris during a hugely successful two-year spell between 2016 and 2018. He will be assisted by James Simmonds, another former schoolboy player who has turned his hand to coaching since hanging up his boots and is promoted from Under-16s head coach.

All players in their Under-17 year are required to start the season on a scholarship arrangement, before they are permitted to sign a first professional football contract on or after their 17th birthday. The intake includes eight players who featured for our youth team last term, including midfielders Lewis Bate and Myles Peart-Harris, who made 11 appearances between them.



Assistant head of youth development Jim Fraser provides the lowdown to the official Chelsea website on the 12 new scholars.



Lewis Bate

Lewis signed for Chelsea as an Under-9 having progressed through our development centre programme. A slight but combative midfield player with an eye for a defence-splitting forward pass, Bate played six times for our Under-18s last season. He has represented England up to Under-17 level, most recently at this year’s European Championship finals.