Former Chelsea wonderkid who snubbed Real Madrid left unemployed at 33 after tearing up EFL contract weeks before season

A CHELSEA wonderkid who famously snubbed interest from Real Madrid is without a club after leaving his fourth tier EFL side. Flashing back to the late noughties, and Josh McEachran had the footballing world at his feet and seemed destined for greatness. Former Chelsea wonderkid Josh McEachran has been left without a club Credit: PA:Empics Sport He left Bristol Rovers by mutual consent a year after joining Credit: Getty The midfielder then won the Blues’ Young Player of the Year award in the 2010/11 season, before repeating the trick while on loan with Middlesbrough in 2012/13. However, the dominoes never quite fell into place for McEachran, and he would only go on to make 11 first team appearances for Chelsea before leaving in 2015. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! He has jumped from club to club across the EFL since, first joining Brentford before spells at Birmingham, MK Dons, Oxford United and Bristol Rovers. But McEachran has now left League Two Bristol via mutual consent just over a year after joining. A statement said: “Bristol Rovers can confirm that Josh McEachran has departed the club by mutual consent. “The midfielder signed for the Pirates in June 2025 and played 23 times for the Gas across all competitions, scoring once. “Everyone at Bristol Rovers would like to thank Josh for all his efforts during his time at the club and wishes him well for the future.” The former England youth star missed large parts of the season through injury, with a double hernia ruling him out for most of November before he was sidelined again and failed to feature between December 29 and April 6. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS That being said, he scored only his second senior career goal – and first in nearly seven years – with a cross-cum-shot opener against Barrow. McEachran had told the Daily Mail in 2017 that he had rejected interest from Real and Manchester United because he believed he would make it. He said: “When I made my (Chelsea) debut I thought, ‘Ah, that was a good choice for me to say no to Real Madrid,’ but looking back now maybe I should have (gone).” Chelsea ticket and hospitality deals GET tickets to see Chelsea home games at Stamford Bridge with these official deals. The packages include optional upgrades to VIP hospitality. ⚽ 30 Aug v Brighton — BOOK HERE ⚽ 12 Sep v Hull — BOOK HERE ⚽ 10 Oct v Bournemouth — BOOK HERE ⚽ 24 Oct v Spurs — BOOK HERE ⚽ 31 Oct v Man United — BOOK HERE More games available here. *If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. The Chelsea Blueprint on YouTube Calling all Chelsea fans - we have a brand new YouTube channel! Comment now