20-year-old's Chelsea milestone may be cause for QPR frustration: View | OneFootball

Chelsea's Cobham academy has formed yet another starlet from its production line, in the shape of Alfie Gilchrist.

However, after his first goal for the Blues last night in a 6-0 win over Everton, QPR fans may be feeling a little miffed about what could have been if they had kept hold of a youngster that was once theirs.

Alfie Gilchrist is Chelsea's latest rising star - but he started off at QPR

Gilchrist was born in 2003, in Kingston-upon-Thames, London. Upon starting his footballing career, he would play for local side Old Isleworthians Youth FC, but would also end up joining QPR's academy for a short period.

He only played in the Hoops' youth setup for two years, however, joining the club at just nine years of age, and leaving for boyhood side Chelsea at age 11.

In a 2023 interview with the Premier League side, Gilchrist spoke briefly about his time at QPR and said: "I was here [Chelsea] at Under-9's for a bit, chose a different pathway at QPR, but was still going to Chelsea games with my dad.

"When I was at QPR, we played against Chelsea and I had a good game. I knew one of the scouts and he watched that game. He knew my parents from previous times, and they spoke after the game. I wanted to be back here as well. When they gave me the opportunity, it was amazing."

QPR fans must only be pained by this as - with the power of hindsight - they would have had a prospectful centre-half, who shares comparisons with John Terry, in the youth ranks and potentially in the first-team.

Looking at his impressive winning of awards and trophies while in the Cobham setup must surely make Hoops fans green with envy too.

In the 2020/21 season, with 18 academy appearances, including one in the FA Youth Cup, and for the development squad, Gilchrist was picked as Chelsea's 2021 Scholar of the Year.

The following season, 2021/22, Gilchrist played a big part for both the Under-18s and the development squad, captaining the FA Youth Cup side that reached the semi-finals, and also the team who won the Under-18 Premier League Cup.

Gilchrist's milestone moment comes for Chelsea v Everton

As mentioned at the top of the article, Gilchrist has sealed his rapid rise to first-team stardom at Chelsea by netting his first goal for the side this week.

As a late substitute for Malo Gusto, the defender came on at right-back and thumped home Chelsea's sixth and final goal in their victory over strugglers Everton.

He instinctively found himself free at the back post and volleyed home his first Chelsea goal after Jordan Pickford parried a Ben Chilwell shot-cum-cross.

He now becomes the fifth long-term Chelsea academy graduate to feature in the 2023/24 squad, following in the footsteps of more senior successes from Cobham in Reece James and Conor Gallagher.

Could Alfie Gilchrist potentially join a current Championship club next season?

If Queens Park Rangers wanted to reunite themselves with their former youngster this summer, then arguably their first port of call would be to place themselves in a much better position than their current 19th spot, where they sit dangerously three points clear above the relegation zone.

However, with the R's looking like a side that could go down, and with Chelsea likely to loan out their academy starlet, despite his recent milestone painting him as a solid Premier League player, there are current - and much better placed - Championship clubs that could look at signing the 20-year-old.

The most likely club to make a move for the young defender is Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys have already helped blossom Omari Hutchinson this season, and with a link between the two clubs building thanks to Kieran McKenna's management of such a young and talented squad, there is a high chance a loan move could be on the cards, even if they are promoted to the Premier League.

Plus, with the Suffolk side sitting atop the Championship tree, it may be hard to argue against a move there, and now leaves yet more wonders of what could have been if Gilchrist had not caught the attention of Chelsea scouts all those years ago at QPR.