Tosin oldest player at 28 

©TM/IMAGO

Former Liverpool defender turned pundit Alan Hansen once famously said, “You can’t win anything with kids”. Many claimed that that proverb ultimately came back to bite the Scotsman, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, centred around their youthful ‘Class of 92’ academy players, went on to win the league. But ultimately Hansen was right. In that United side in 1995/96, they still had 32-year-old Peter Schmeichel, 35-year-old Steve Bruce and 30-year-old Éric Cantona as the backbone of the team. The value of experience can’t be underestimated. Right now that’s something Chelsea are seriously lacking.

The Blues are a team full of talented youngsters, and they have now added another young manager into the mix in Liam Rosenior. As illustrated in the graphic above, Chelsea’s oldest player used in any competition this season is centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, who only recently turned 28. Prepare for a tongue twister, as he is by far the youngest oldest player used among all Premier League clubs this season. Next on the list is Manchester City, whose oldest player has been 31-year-old John Stones. Now, some would point out that Chelsea have still had success with this young team; they won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup last season and qualified for the Champions League.

However, whilst this was still an impressive achievement by Enzo Maresca and his side, their squad value was €900 million more than any other side in the Conference League, and it’s still hard to know the weight held by the newly-formatted Club World Cup, played in the pre-season period in tough weather conditions. Chelsea are a good side, with a hugely talented young squad, but there is such little experience to call on and so few leaders. They can achieve things with this talent and the huge amounts of money spent, but without adding that experience, they won’t ever win the Premier League.

Why Chelsea need more experience

On their day, this young Chelsea team can cause any opponent problems. They’ve already performed superbly well against league leaders Arsenal this season, holding the Gunners to a draw despite playing much of the match with 10 men. They beat Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League. However, when the chips are down, as a young player, you want to turn around and see some calm experienced leaders around you, not to see even younger players. You want a Virgil van Dijk, a John Terry, even a Gabriel at Arsenal. These older heads, with international experience and the know-how of playing in big matches.

As highlighted in the graphic above, if we collate Chelsea’s 10 oldest players this season, then Enzo Fernández, Benoît Badiashile and João Pedro make the list – they are all 24 years old. In many ways, it feels like Fernández is probably the go-to figurehead in that dressing room, and he does have great experience for his age, winning the World Cup with Argentina. But the fact is, he is still very young and would still benefit from more experienced players to lean on in times of hardship.

Reece James, 26, is the club captain and has been outstanding this season, but it would appear to many that he is not a natural leader. His performances certainly lead by example and he is growing into that role, but he is inherently a quieter more-introverted player. Former manager Maresca told Sky Sports last year: “In terms of leadership, I ask [for] more from him.” As well as staying calm when things are going bad, another perk that having experienced players can bring is setting cultural standards in the dressing room. It can often come across that some of the younger Chelsea players are out for themselves more than the collective goal of the team. Just trying to earn their next move.

Last term, Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke were involved in an in-house scrap over who would take a penalty kick. This season, Chelsea have already received seven red cards in all competitions. The Blues sometimes lack true accountability. They would benefit heavily from adding a couple of experienced leaders with exemplary attitudes to the backbone of their squad. With that, they could truly become a force to be reckoned with. But right now, it could be argued that the Chelsea hierarchy are looking more at the balance sheets than trying to get the club challenging for the Premier League title.

Why you can’t win the Premier League without experience

If we scan across the Premier League era since the 1992/93 season, no title-winning team has ever won the league without playing a player of at least 32 years of age. The oldest players for the last 20 champions is listed below. The likes of 36-year-old Terry in 2016/17 for Chelsea, 37-year-old Fernandinho in 2021/22 for Man City, or even 33-year-old van Dijk for Liverpool last term can’t be underestimated in their team’s eventual triumphs.

Some have suggested that Chelsea have tried somewhat to emulate Arsenal’s recent model. The Gunners significantly reduced the average age of the squad in Mikel Arteta’s first few years, getting rid of high-earning older players like Mesut Özil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and allowing a younger group to develop together. This has bore fruit with the Gunners currently top of the Premier League and Champions League tables, with partnerships formed such as that of William Saliba and Gabriel at centre-back. A duo that is the envy of top clubs around the world.

However, Arsenal always still had a few older more experienced players to help oversee this process and set the standards. Whether that be Mohamed Elneny, Jorginho or now Christian Nørgaard. These older players trained hard and helped pull the group together collectively. This is what Chelsea lack and have lacked severely ever since centre-half Thiago Silva left the club in 2024. Arteta was also allowed the time and space to see the management of this young group through. Rosenior’s men will face off against Arteta’s Arsenal in the EFL Cup semi-final this Wednesday, and whilst they are much better-equipped to beat the Gunners in a cup tie, they will need more know-how to eclipse their London rivals over a 38-game Premier League campaign.