Chelsea had to pay Sheffield United compensation when they lured the 16 year-old midfielder, Jacob Mellis, to Stamford Bridge, but the youngster was keen to make the switch.

Two years on and still a teenager, Jacob was just as keen to join Southampton, newly-relegated to League One, on a three-month loan, even though he considered the move to be “daunting”.

There was talk of his prolonging his stay until the season’s end, but he returned to his parent-club on schedule, leaving the fans to wonder how his silky skills might have fared, over a longer period, in the third-tier. He didn’t get to test them in the Premiership either, although Chelsea did bring him on, as a 90th-minute substitute, in the Champions League in November 2010. Returning from a loan-spell at Championship Barnsley, Jacob let off a smoke-grenade at Chelsea’s training ground in March 2012. Following a disciplinary hearing, it was agreed that he should leave the club. After trials elsewhere, Jacob signed permanently for Barnsley in the summer of 2012, but has not pulled up any trees at any of his subsequent clubs which is disappointing considering his early promise.