Sad story of former Chelsea academy player now homeless – Talk Chelsea

I wanted to highlight this story as much as I can because I haven’t seen much on it, and it needs more light shining on it.

The rollercoaster story of Jacob Mellis reminds me of how quickly fortunes can change for some people, how dreams can be so close, and then so far away.

It reminds me to be thankful of what I have, a roof over my head, a job I enjoy, and a family that loves me and would do anything for me. It reminds me that footballers are humans too and that small (silly) decisions whether through fault of their own or not, can change the paths and fate for many.

The Daily Mail  have ran a story on Mellis this week with an exclusive interview with him. I only spotted it because a friend of mine alerted me to it – nobody (I know some are) is interested in stories like this especially when a transfer window is about to open and we are hearing about our next potential major signing. That’s the sad state of affairs that we are in right now with football.

It’s a multi-national sport that reels people in and we become obsessed with the drama, the stories, the transfers, and all the money that is involved in the sport, which let’s be frank, is absolutely ridiculous money. When you see footballers, even average ones, earning £100k-a-week yet there are homeless and starving people all around the world, it makes me sick to the stomach. That’s the way of life, the way of society, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

‘At the peak of his young career, Jacob Mellis was playing in the Champions League and earning £8,000 a week. Today he is homeless.’ is what The Mail lead with in their article. That hits hard.

Mellis is now just 32-years-old, and I fully remember the hype surrounding him when he was another ‘wonderkid’ coming through the Chelsea academy.

‘He arrives to speak to Mail Sport at Alderley Edge hotel, a venue he has become all-too-familiar with, wearing the same clothes he had on the day before,’ write The Mail. ‘Once a confident teenage prodigy who stood head and shoulders above the throng at Chelsea’s academy, the 32-year-old is disconnected and weary.’

Mellis has no home, no car and no income. Over the past 18 months, he has relied on the goodwill of family and friends offering couches to crash on or spotting the cash for a hotel room.

The premature end to his playing days has thrown Mellis into the deepest of holes. A misdiagnosed knee injury was picked up at Southend last year, bringing the curtain down on a 13-year professional career that started at Stamford Bridge, where his debut came in the Champions League against Slovakian outfit MSK Zilina.

Mellis admits responsibility of not making the most of his abilities, and that is the key thing to do here – you cannot just be blaming everyone else for your struggles, you have to take responsibility. But also, addictions are real and are an absolute menace. He struggled with alcohol and enjoyed too many nights out – he is not blaming anyone for this part of his plight other than himself.

But many people struggle with alcohol addiction, and it is something that gets wrongly looked down on. An addiction is an addiction, and addicts need help. I watched a documentary this week about Matt Willis from the Pop-Punk band Busted, he has long been suffering with an alcohol and drugs addiction, and you can see that it’s a mental problem and there is no one shoe fits all for sufferers trying to come through it, and also the reasons why some people suffer with addictions more than others.

There was also the smoke bomb incident that Mellis was involved in at Chelsea. Everyone does stupid things when they are young, but when you look into the background of all of this and now why Mellis used to act up sometimes, you can understand it more.

Team-mate Billy Clifford brought a smoke bomb into their Cobham training complex a week after a squad paint-balling session, and Mellis couldn’t believe his luck when he accidentally set it off.

“It was in the locker,” Mellis said back in 2021. “I didn’t know what it did to be fair, and I pulled the thing and it started making mad smoke. I was trying to open the windows but obviously the fire alarm went off. So I was like ‘Argh, no!’

“Neil Bath [Head of Youth Development] asked who did it. I said I pulled the thing; I didn’t know what it did.

“The way it was made out was like there was a big evacuation. It wasn’t like anyone came to harm or anything like that, it was just a stupid prank gone wrong.

“Looking back, I feel like more could have been done to show that they didn’t just turf me out. I feel like since then it’s been like: ‘Oh, he got sacked’. I never got sacked.”

Mellis admits now how much the alcohol has caused him problems in his career.

“Throughout my career it’s been a thing that’s caused me problems,” Mellis said speaking about his love for alcohol. “When you’re drinking, you’re not in control of what you’re doing.

“It affects training, managers wouldn’t be happy. I remember I turned up one time to training drunk. I would’ve been 19. Steve Holland [Chelsea’s assistant coach] sent me in. There’s been a few occasions where it has affected me.

“David Luiz didn’t speak too much English, but when we’d be warming up he’d [mimics sniffing his breath] “Hey, have you been drinking?’”. He would say stop [wags his finger]. Like that.

“Dermot Drummy [Chelsea’s former academy manager] gave me a mentor, Ashley Cole, to stop me from going out and to talk to me. So people did try, I can’t lie.

“I was cocky back then, arrogant. I felt like I should be playing. I feel like it is a good thing if it’s channelled in the right way. But I don’t think I channelled it in the right way.

“If I wasn’t picked or was feeling frustrated I would just go out, go drinking. You’re not messing Chelsea up, you’re messing yourself up.”

Alcohol became a constant presence throughout Mellis’s career, one which saw him leave Chelsea to join Barnsley in the Championship, before going on to play for seven more clubs across the Football League.

“When I was still playing in the league, I didn’t regret anything. I thought I am where I am,’ he adds.

“Since I’ve stopped playing, you have more time to think. You have to regret that. The amount of people that come up to me and say “Oh my God , what happened to you?”, that’s when it makes me think about it. These are people that are playing in the Premier League.

“I feel like I didn’t really know the talent that I had. Outwardly I would be cocky. But inside I would be a bit, not nervous, but didn’t really know what I could achieve. I didn’t believe it.”

His current situation has exacerbated the problem. “I’m drinking as much as I can really. Just to forget about the stress,” he admits. “It’s pretty much when the opportunity comes.”

He has reached out to the PFA who are in the early stages of getting him help. Mellis is set to enter the Sporting Chance clinic this week in a bid to overcome his issues with alcohol.

There has also been assistance from others within the football community. Chelsea have helped Mellis through his first two talent identification courses as he aims to eventually land work back in football.

“I’ve spoken to the PFA where I try and explain it. I felt if you don’t drink every day it’s not a problem. But it causes problems in your life. Now I’m trying to rectify that.

“Chelsea helped me to get my Level 1 and Level 2 scouting badges. I did that with them and the FA at Stamford Bridge. I think that’s something that I’ll enjoy. I like watching youngsters, I feel like I can see potential in people.

“I watch football all day, every day. I like to spot youth talents coming through. I feel like I can help them in other ways, off the pitch. Try to steer them away from the stuff I was doing.”

Currently a permanent role is proving difficult – having no fixed address can cause issues when trying to secure the background checks necessary when working with young people.

Jacob Mellis was the Chelsea wonderkid destined for the big stage… at 32,  he’s now homeless.

I understand that people currently at Chelsea are aware of this story, and I am hoping that they might step in to help Mellis here somehow.

Because help is what he needs, not narrow-minded criticism and shaming.

Mellis was at Chelsea from 2007 until 2012 and he spent time on loan at Southampton and Barnsley. He then joined Barnsley in 2012 on a permanent deal and had a decent time there, making 66 appearances and scoring 8 goals.

His problems and really addiction took it’s toll at Blackpool, where he only made 13 appearances and ended up being loaned to Oldham Athletic. In 2015 he joined Bury and made 58 appearances there scoring 3 goals.

He had a bit more stability at Mansfield after that, making 84 appearances there between 2017 and 2020. But since then he has stuttered, stumbled, and failed to make any consistency at Bolton, Gillingham, Southend, or most recently, Leatherhead.

Mellis was also a regular England youth international, most notedly earning 12 caps and scoring 3 goals for the U19s.

Let’s hope he gets the help he needs and gets back on his feet. But most of all, let’s hope he can beat his addiction, because those things can be consistently menacing throughout an entire lifetime for some people.