The 20-year-old’s Chelsea accomplishment might be the source of QPR annoyance.
Following Monday night’s opening goal for Chelsea, Alfie Gilchrist may have left QPR supporters wondering what may have been for their former youth product.
Alfie Gilchrist is just another youngster to come off Chelsea’s manufacturing line thanks to the Cobham academy.
But following his first goal for the Blues in a 6-0 victory against Everton last night, QPR supporters might be a bit envious of what might have happened if they had held onto a young player who was once theirs.
The newest emerging talent at Chelsea, Alfie Gilchrist began his career at QPR.
In 2003, Gilchrist was born in London’s Kingston-upon-Thames. He began his football career as a player for the local team Old Isleworthians Youth FC, although he also briefly joined QPR’s academy.
Despite joining the club at the age of nine, he only played for the Hoops’ junior setup for two years before departing at the age of eleven to play for Chelsea, his hometown team.
Gilchrist mentioned his time at QPR in a 2023 interview with the Premier League team. “I was here [Chelsea] at Under-9’s for a bit, chose a different pathway at QPR, but was still going to Chelsea games with my dad,” Gilchrist said.
“I had a nice game against Chelsea in our match when I was at QPR. One of the scouts that I knew was present at that game. He had spoken with my folks after the game; they were old friends. It was here that I longed to be again. When I was given the chance, it was incredible.”
The only reason QPR supporters should be hurt by this is because, in retrospect, they might have had a promising center-half in the youth system and perhaps even in the starting lineup who is compared to John Terry.
The tremendous array of honors and prizes he has won while playing for the Hoops must also make Cobham supporters envious.
With eighteen academy appearances in 2020–21 (one in the FA Youth Cup), Gilchrist was selected as Chelsea’s 2021 Scholar of the Year for the development team.
The next season, 2021–2022, saw Gilchrist play a significant role for both the development team and the Under–18s. He captained both the team that won the Under–18 Premier League Cup and the FA Youth Cup, sending it to the semi-finals.
Gilchrist’s momentous occasion occurs during Chelsea vs. Everton.
Gilchrist scored his first goal for Chelsea this week, as was stated at the beginning of the article, capping his quick ascent to the first team’s prominence.
The right-back, who had entered the game late in place of Malo Gusto, scored Chelsea’s sixth and final goal to secure their triumph over Everton.
After Jordan Pickford parried a Ben Chilwell shot-cum-cross, he intuitively found himself clear at the back post and volleyed home his first goal for Chelsea.
He now joins Reece James and Conor Gallagher, two more Cobham senior triumphs, as the sixth long-serving Chelsea academy alum to be included in the 2023–24 team.
Is Alfie Gilchrist likely to play for a current Championship team in the next season?
Arguably, Queens Park Rangers’ first priority should be to improve their present 19th-place standing, which puts them precariously three points above the relegation zone, if they hope to reconcile with their former protégé this summer.
Nevertheless, despite his recent milestone portraying him as a solid Premier League player, the R’s appear to be a team that could collapse, and Chelsea is likely to loan out their academy starlet. As a result, there are currently-positioned Championship clubs that could look at signing the 20-year-old.
Ipswich Town is the team most likely to try to sign the teenage defender.
Even if they are promoted to the Premier League, there is a good chance that a loan move may be in the works given that Kieran McKenna’s management of such a young and talented squad has helped the Tractor Boys help Omari Hutchinson blossom this season.
