Forgotten ex-Chelsea star who won it all for academy and England youngsters now a free agent at 25 after being released
A FORMER Chelsea whizkid who won it all in their star-studded academy side has today become unemployed.
Full-back Jay Dasilva was tipped to reach the very top as he burst through the ranks with both the Blues and England.
Alongside the likes of Tammy Abraham and Dominic Solanke, the 25-year-old lifted almost every trophy possible for club and country at youth level.
Dasilva captained England to Under-19 European Championship success back in 2017.
Then he was part of the U21 Three Lions squad that won the prestigious Toulon Tournament the following year.
He also made history by winning the FA Youth Cup three times at Chelsea.
Dasilva, alongside team-mate Jake Clarke-Salter, is one of the only players in history to triumph in the competition three times along with five of Manchester United’s famed Busby Babes.
And it was not only domestically that the all-conquering Chelsea young guns dominated – they also lifted the Uefa Youth League twice.
After a brief loan spell at Charlton Athletic in 2017, DaSilva rejoined the club again for the entirety of the following campaign, and his displays saw him crowned the Fans’ Player of the Year.
The defender then decided that he wanted regular first-team football, and after failing to make a single senior appearance at Stamford Bridge, he left Chelsea permanently for Bristol City in 2019 after a successful season-long loan with the Robins.
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DaSilva has gone on to make nearly 100 appearances for them in the Championship but he is now looking for a new club after it was announced that he was being released today.
He and City were unable to renegotiate his contract with the club offering significantly reduced terms on the lucrative agreement he signed four years ago.
But there seems to be no hard feelings as he penned a classy farewell message on social media that read: “To everyone at Bristol City, my time at the club has come to an end and I would like to thank everyone involved.
“The last four years have flown by but they will stay with me forever.
“Thank you to all my team-mates, managers and staff along the way and, of course, thank you to all the fans. It’s been nothing but love from the start! I’ve loved every minute here and I will miss playing in red at Ashton Gate.
“I wish the club nothing but success for next season and the future. Thanks for everything.”
