Manchester United 'ban' Chelsea scouts from academy games as clubs lock horns

Manchester United and Liverpool have reportedly banned Chelsea scouts from attending their academy matches, in what appears to be a response to the Blues' similar actions against them.

Although no official ban has been imposed by either club, it is believed that tensions between the sides have led to accreditation requests being rejected for academy games.

Over the past month, scouts from Liverpool and United have been denied access to Chelsea's Cobham training ground, with the situation seemingly reciprocal. The Athletic suggests that discussions were held last week to address the issue, but no agreement has been reached yet.

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According to Premier League regulations, scouts should be allowed to attend academy matches if they have informed both clubs involved before noon on the last working day prior to the game and can provide valid identification. It is speculated that United and Liverpool perceive this action as a reaction to Chelsea losing Rio Ngumoha to Liverpool during the summer.

The young midfielder, who had also attracted interest from Man United, opted not to stay with the west London side when offered a contract. The highly-rated 16-year-old has already played in the UEFA Youth League for Liverpool this season, leaving Chelsea disappointed at losing such a promising player.

Despite passing the Premier League's five-step review process, which ensures no rules are violated when a youth player moves from one academy to another, the transfer was reportedly a challenging one. The report indicates that Chelsea led the way in restricting access, although there is some dispute over this point. Furthermore, there's a tussle over whether Liverpool have already turned down requests from Chelsea, with signs pointing towards such measures being reciprocated in the future, says the Mirror.

This leaves the new heads at Chelsea's academy in a tricky situation. Neil Bath and Jim Fraser, who guided the club through a golden era of youth development for 20 years, exited Stamford Bridge earlier this year. Chelsea poached Glenn van der Kraan from Manchester City for the role of academy technical director, while Jack Francis got an internal promotion to academy football operations director.

"After 30 years working at Chelsea, I feel it is the right time for me to have some time off and take a break from a job that I have put so much time into," Bath said in July.

"I intend to rest and have some time away from the game, however I will continue working over the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition for the organisation.

"As an academy, we have enjoyed fantastic backing from the club throughout my time here, without which none of our success would have been possible.

"I would like to thank every single person - player, parent, colleague, supporter - who has been on this journey with us. We achieved everything we could possibly have dreamed of - five Youth Cups in a row, countless debuts, homegrown players helping the team win the Champions League - and we did it together.

"In particular, I have to mention Jim Fraser, who has assisted me for the past 20 years and played such an important role in everything we have achieved."