Highlights

• Leo Castledine is widely considered to be one of Chelsea's most promising talents in their academy.
• Mauricio Pochettino has called him up to first-team training repeatedly with his first-team debut not far away.
• With comparisons to Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher, there is hope at the club he can become a regular at Stamford Bridge in the future.

Leo Castledine is widely considered to be a future star at Chelsea. Although he is yet to make his first team debut, Castledine has featured regularly in Mauricio Pochettino's training sessions - alongside the odd appearance in matchday squads.

Chelsea have a reputation for producing world-class talent from their academy at Cobham. In just the past few years, Fikayo Tomori, Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall and Marc Guehi have graduated from the academy; all four are now considered some of England's most promising talent. It's seemingly part of the DNA of the club. Nurturing young talent and - more often than not - selling them on for profit as they make their professional debuts is a frequent process in West London. There is still a plethora of talent that have graduated from the club and continue to make appearances at Stamford Bridge. Club captain Reece James epitomises that, whilst Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill act as role models in that sense.

Yet now there is hope within the club that Castledine can be the next player to break onto the main stage. The Chelsea U21 manager has been impressed with Castledine for years, mentioning last season:

In terms of energy, he is similar to Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher. I think he has more elements of Conor out of the two of them. He can be very dangerous when he arrives in the box, is really good in the air, and we have to make sure we keep working on that as well. He is definitely going to be a goal-scoring midfielder.

Even though Castledine is yet to make his senior debut for Chelsea, this article has everything you need to know about the youngster - from his position and height to his style of play and potential.

Key information

Position, height and age

Leo Castledine is an attacking midfielder who has the ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder. He can play anywhere within the middle of the park, providing versatility to the team. However, he used to be a central defender when he was younger.

Speaking about the transition from defence to midfield, Castledine told the BBC three years ago:

Moving from defence to midfield was a very gradual process for me. It took about two seasons. I was a tough-tackling centre-back at the start of my U13 season and now, towards the end of the U15 season, I am a centre midfielder and sometimes play as a number 10.

Castledine is 1.75 metres tall - or, if you prefer the older method, he is five feet nine inches tall. It has helped him become an agile midfielder who can quickly turn in the middle of the park.

Meanwhile, born on the 20th of August 2005, Castledine is just 18 years old.

Style of play

Comparisons with Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher

As previously mentioned, Castledine is a midfielder who can also utilise space across the pitch. It has earned him plaudits throughout his rise in academy football, with a first-team debut now just a matter of months away.

Chelsea journalist and fan Simon Phillips provided an in-depth analysis of Castledine to GIVEMESPORT.

Leo is a naturally gifted footballer with bags of technical ability. A really good example of an all-round modern footballer with the ability to do it all. Leo likes to control and dictate play in midfield and he has great physicality. His ceiling is very high and he could go on to be a regular starter for a top ten side in any top European division and even top six if he reaches the expectations he is showing. He is already good enough to play for Chelsea's first team.

He is a unique player but I'd place his style close to Conor Gallagher in terms of tenacity, toughness, and how he doesn't shy away from a tackle. But he is more technically gifted than Conor. Others have compared him to Mason Mount, and I see those comparisons as well.

Stats

Appearances, goals assists and cards

Although Castledine is yet to make his debut for Chelsea's senior side, he has made a consistent impact on the youth teams, as outlined in the table below.

Particularly in the U18 Premier League, he offered a threat from range with a remarkable 16 goals in 31 matches. Averaging over a goal every two matches catapulted him into the spotlight at Cobham, whilst impressive performances in the UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup have only added to that idea.

Contract information

New deal signed in 2023

In December 2023, Casteldine signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract - taking his Stamford Bridge tenure up until the summer of 2027 at the earliest. It is likely to have dramatically increased his wage, but the current figure is not within the public domain.

Jim Fraser, Head of youth development and recruitment, said:

We are delighted Leo has committed his future to the club and look forward to seeing him continue his development here. He has been an ever-present at Under-21 level this season, so we hope to see him keep progressing at Chelsea in the years ahead.

It was a statement of intent from Chelsea to secure his signature for the coming years, knowing he has the quality to fit seamlessly into life in the Premier League.

Future at Stamford Bridge

Highly-rated from 'top to bottom'

It is not clear when Castledine will break into the spotlight at Chelsea. However, he is continuing to feature in Pochettino's first-team training sessions - alongside a handful of young and up-and-coming players. It paints a positive picture for Castledine's future, especially if Pochettino - a manager synonymous with giving youngsters opportunities - remains as manager. Once again, Simon Phillips provided his opinion on Castledine's future at Stamford Bridge, stating:

Mauricio Pochettino has had him in the first-team squad and in senior training recently, so that says it all. He's very highly rated at Chelsea from the top to the bottom.

Chelsea's current plan under Todd Boehly has been about planning for the future. Since the American took over from Roman Abramovich, the West London club have gone on a spending spree - most notably on Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández. However, the major signings of Kendry Páez and Andrey Santos epitomised the club's plan. Including scouting in South America, Boehly is building a team that is capable of competing for Europe's best honours in the coming years - even if it might seem hectic now.

Potential

A future Top Six player

As previously mentioned, several Cobham prodigies have been quickly sold by the Chelsea hierarchy. It's part of the club's financial plan, knowing it can drastically help with Financial Fair Play. The sale of Hall to Newcastle in the summer of 2023 epitomised that, even if he was billed as one of the club's most promising talents.

There is hope within the club that Castledine can break through into the first team at Chelsea. However, if he doesn't, he is still tipped to have a long and successful career, whether that's in England or abroad. Simon Phillips suggested this when speaking to GIVEMESPORT.

His ceiling is very high and he could go on to be a regular starter for a top ten side in any top European division and even top six if he reaches the expectations he is showing. He is already good enough to play for Chelsea's first team.

Castledine's future will depend highly on his work ethic, determination and desire to become one of Europe's best players. Coupled with managing to stay injury-free, it will be a challenge for the 18-year-old, but one that every promising footballer goes through. He has already received praise from a plethora of people at the club; praise for him will only increase once he makes his debut at Stamford Bridge.