Chelsea change name of under-21s side in controversial move to rebrand academy

Chelsea have angered their fanbase by deciding to rename their under-19 and under-21s sides. From now on, the club will refer to them as Cobham Next Gen (CNG).

Chelsea have one of the most famous and prolific academies in English football, having helped develop a vast array of talented players. It seems that, under the ownership of BlueCo, the club now want to establish a separate brand for their academy, which is based in Cobham, Surrey.

The Blues claim that Cobham Next Gen "accurately reflects the age profile" of the players in the academy sides and strengthens its identity.

"The new name more accurately reflects the age profile of our leading academy side and Chelsea's long-standing heritage of developing the next generation of players for the senior game," the club said in a statement.

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"Cobham Next Gen also better fits the role of the squad within the academy. It recognises a group of young players with momentum, taking the next step in their development - the final one in the pathway to senior football - competing at a higher level as they continue their journey through Cobham towards the men's team."

It added: "The introduction of Cobham Next Gen also strengthens the academy's identity. More than an age-group name, it represents the players progressing through Cobham and the opportunities available to them as they continue their development towards the men's game.

"This new identity reflects the distinction of Chelsea’s academy as a unique footballing environment with its own history, culture and proven record of developing players for the highest level of the game."

The move has not gone down well on social media. "Sounds like an eSports team," one fan responded. "Okay so what is the reason for this actually?" another added.

A third wrote: "BlueCo have massively underestimated the UK-wide anti-sentiment of the franchising/americanisation of our game." "We are legitimately going to be called the London Cowboys in 2 years," predicted another fan.

Another simply wrote: "This is a really poor and crazy decision. The Club is CHELSEA Football Club."

Cobham Next Gen will be lead by head coach Harry Hudson in the upcoming 2026/27 season. Hudson was promoted to lead the under-21s last season after Calum McFarlane was elevated to the first team to become interim manager in between the spells of Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior. Chelsea's under-21s won the Premier League 2 last season, winning 14 of their 20 matches.

The decision comes the day after it emerged that Chelsea shareholders Todd Boehly and Mark Walter are in talks to to sell their stakes in the Premier League club to majority owner Clearlake Capital. The BlueCo consortium including Boehly, Walter and Clearlake purchased Chelsea in a deal worth £2.5billion four years ago.