Here at WAGNH we try our best to keep you up to date with the youth and reserve squads, so I thought we should probably take a moment to look back at Carl Magnay's time at Chelsea. For those of you unaware, the club decided this summer not to renew the contract of the young center back meaning he would be parting ways with the club at the end of the 2011 calendar year. We've officially entered 2012 now and Magnay has indeed left Cobham for good. The popular rumor at the moment is that Magnay is going to sign at Gateshead FC in the Blue Square Premier League where he'd immediately step into their starting lineup as they try to push towards a League Two promotion. While nothing is official on that front yet it seemed as good a time as any to a kid that certainly epitomizes the Frank Arnesen youth era.
Magnay came through the Leeds academy as a youth before signing on with Chelsea in the summer of 2007. He was a fixture in the youth setup for the next several seasons before beginning his trademark Arnesen loan spells in 2009. He was sent out on loan twice that season, registering 2 appearances with potential FA Cup opponent MK Dons and then a further 3 with former Sam Walker home Northampton Town (who would probably love to have him at the moment). He was kept at Cobham for the beginning of the 2009/2010 season which ended prematurely with a rather serious knee injury. By the time he had recovered from his injury it was fairly clear Carl didn't have a future with our first team, so the club assured him they'd allow him to leave in January.
What the future holds for Magnay is unclear, but it is a very good lesson in why a club can never have enough young talent stockpiled. In 2007 Magnay looked like a budding star that was destined to become a Premier League regular. In 2012 that budding star is hoping to break through in the Blue Square Premier League. Injuries and lack of development (or both) happen to even the most promising youngsters, that's why quantity is often as important as quality in a club's youth system (especially a club with as high a standard of first team player as Chelsea has). So for those of you bemoaning the Omeruo signing as wasteful due to the presence of Chalobah, Kalas, Ake, and Bruma, please be aware that the club once boasted future stars Slobodan Rajkovic, Michael Mancienne, and Carl Magnay in their youth ranks. But enough with the post mortem on Chelsea youth players...good luck with your future Carl, and thanks for the years of service to Chelsea. Hopefully you get a chance to carve out a nice career as a professional player.