Whilst Chelsea have been looking for a striker to help support Nicolas Jackson this season, Donnell McNeilly could not have done much more to make his case. Following on from a terrific 2022/23, where he scored more than 25 times across the academy, McNeilly has impressed again.
Stepping up into the Under-21 squad with new head coach Felipe Coehlo, McNeilly finished as the top scorer in the Premier League 2 (PL2) after finishing as runner up for the Under-18 Premier League golden boot last season. Chido Obi-Martin, then at Arsenal, won the award and has since made his senior debut for Manchester United.
Divin Mubama has played and scored for Manchester City and managed 10 in the PL2 this season. McNeilly’s 12 for the campaign is not a massive standout figure like his 21 last season for the Under-18s but it is still noteworthy.
Unlike a lot of his teammates in the Development Squad, McNeilly has not been given an opportunity under Enzo Maresca. He will not turn 20 until October yet has been on the outside looking in, even when Chelsea have been turning to others in an uncomfortable centre forward role.
Eight debuts have been handed out by Maresca in the run to the Conference League final, including to 16-year-old Reggie Walsh, who has only briefly played for the Under-21s. Shumaira Mheuka, 17, has started a knockout game and made several appearances in Europe as well as coming on as a substitute in the Premier League.
What sets McNeilly out is his age and contract status. Compared to Walsh, Mheuka, Genesis Antwi (17), and Harrison Murray-Campbell (18), McNeilly is moving towards the end of his youth football career quickly. His record in age-group level suggests he is ready for the next stage but that has not happened at Chelsea.
A large part is thought to be because he is out of contract this summer. McNeilly signed as a scholar in 2022, penning a deal on professional terms at 17, but that ends in just over six weeks and nothing new has been agreed.
Chelsea have already shown a willingness to take a tough stance on contract scenarios across the club, coming to loggerheads with Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher as well as teenager Josh Acheampong. Only one of those was resolved and Acheampong is now in Maresca’s squad but McNeilly did not get as much of a look in over pre-season or throughout the campaign like his peers, including Tyrique George, and no progress on extending his stay has been made.
It means that Chelsea are set to lose McNeilly this summer unless there is a remarkable change of events. It will bring to an end a successful stay at Cobham but also questions of why it did not go any further, especially given the circumstances. An opportunity, it seems, has been missed.
He trained with the senior group last season under Pochettino but did not go any further. He was involved at the start of last summer when Maresca arrived. With Chelsea lacking a true replacement for Jackson up front, McNeilly is a focal point with an eye for goal who will certainly argue he deserved at least a bit more of a chance.
Last season may have been too soon for McNeilly but this year, with only 19-year-old Marc Guiu as competition, there was room to offer McNeilly a way in. Guiu has been out with injury and is only just returning to individual training after a three-month lay-off.
Maresca has spoken of the former Barcelona academy forward as being a big miss in recent weeks but on his gametime evidence (three Premier League appearances from the bench worth less than 100 minutes) there is a long way for him to go before being ready to impact games at this level. Yet, when signed from Barcelona with minimal senior experience, Chelsea elevated Guiu into the first-team.
The Spaniard did arrive as a highly-rated prospect but he has taken immediate priority over someone like McNeilly. Now Chelsea are after a way to replace their only natural senior striker and do not have an obvious answer. Pedro Neto and Tyrique George have deputised there, as has Christopher Nkunku.
The Frenchman is also injured but quickly faded from Maresca’s view as a genuine No.9 option after two horrorshow performances against Brighton in early February. Neto was the best bet and now Chelsea will likely have to turn to him again.
All the while, with the academy season over, McNeilly is drifting towards an exit having been nominated for the PL2 player of the season award (which will be revealed on Tuesday). He hasn’t had the chance to become a true backup for Maresca despite his displays and now Chelsea are putting square pegs in a round hole again.
The caveat here is that Chelsea’s coaches and staff have a better view of McNeilly on a daily basis but from the outside it certainly appears strange for such a gaping hole to not be filled by someone who naturally fits the position and has been in form.
Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Chelsea stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!
Click this link to follow the football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel, where you’ll be kept up to date on the latest Blues news wherever you are.
Just remember to turn on the notifications once you’ve followed, and you won’t miss a beat!
