Two years ago, the world's scouts were descending on Rangers and Scotland's youth games to see a uniquely gifted technician who was being watched by Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Chelsea, as they often do, eventually won the race to convince a then 15-year-old Gilmour to move to London on his 16th birthday, leaving Rangers desperately sad over losing a player they were close to throwing into their first team.
The initial fee to add Gilmour to their already dominant academy ended up costing Chelsea more than £600,000 and his arrival helped see his side win an unprecedented quadruple at Under-18 level last season.
Gilmour signed a professional deal until 2021 in the summer and the youngster is hopeful he can emulate the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi in that time by breaking into Chelsea's first team.
“When I see Ethan and Callum Hudson-Odoi get their chance with Chelsea’s first team it gives me hope because we’re a similar age," Gilmour said in September. “So, I’ll just continue to work really hard and try to do that as well.
“Since Ethan has been involved with the first team he has done really well and kept his standards high. You just have to work so hard to get there. I’ve been playing well for the Under-23s at Chelsea and hopefully that will continue.
"It’s different for me. At Under-18s last year, I was dominating games but it’s not as easy now. Most of the boys I’m playing against are older and more experienced and because we’ve so many away out on loan, we have a young team.
“But I want to make an impact at that level for the full campaign. That’s my aim and then we’ll see what happens next season.”
Here, Goal takes a look at the latest goings-on at the Blues' Academy - and picks out a few names to keep a close eye on in the coming weeks, months and years...
Billy Gilmour - Chelsea Under-23s
Gilmour remans a long way from the first team with a loan move next summer a possibility to finally introduce him into the senior game.
The competition at Chelsea is fierce and Gilmour has been asked to watch Cesc Fabregas, a player with similar attributes, as he also works on adding strength to his natural technical gifts.
Now 17 years old, Gilmour is still playing up a level having regularly made appearances for the Under-23s in Premier League 2 and also the Under-19s team in the UEFA Youth League.
He is building on last season when he played in 30 games, making 27 starts and scoring eight goals from midfield across the domestic league and cup competitions. He added a further nine assists, meaning 17 goal involvements in 27 starts which is outstanding for a player in his position.
Now he is turning out at Under-23 and Under-19 level, and has eight goals and four assists in 15 games while he is playing against senior players when Chelsea's academy competes in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Gilmour is also doing well with Scotland's Under-21 team, having won "Revelation of the Tournament" at the 2018 Toulon tournament in the summer, when he debuted at that level in a 1-0 win against France.
He also has four goals in his last three Scotland U19 games, including a last-minute penalty against Wales, helping Billy Stark's side to qualify for the UEFA Elite Round.
There will be scouts at Cobham Training Ground and elsewhere watching Gilmour with a view to a loan next season. There may be few his age who possess the same vision and intelligence but his small stature might be a slight concern for clubs playing in physical leagues.
Other academy talking points
- Joe Edwards' Under 23s team are continuing to make improvements on last season and are competing well in Premier League 2. Last season, the very youthful U23 side only finished in eighth place, despite success at other levels, but they remain in touching distance of Division 2 table toppers Everton. They are just four points away in third place having beaten Arsenal 5-4 away in their most recent match.
- Andy Myers is new to his job with the Under 18s after Jody Morris left to join Derby County's backroom staff to help Frank Lampard this season. A relatively poor start of a win, loss and a draw in the first three games has been transformed by an eight-game winning streak showing that Chelsea's dominance at this level is here to stay. Tino Anjorin is impressing at this level and in England's youth teams.
- The UEFA Youth League is a competition where Chelsea are chasing redemption after losing in the final against Barcelona last season. Joe Edwards' team started with a 10-1 victory over Molde, following it with a 4-0 win away from home. The Blues then beat IF Elfsborg 3-0 away.
- Loanees: Reece James is continuing to make a huge impact in his debut season in senior football with a second successive Player of the Month win at Wigan Athletic. Jamal Blackman suffered a serious injury while playing for Leeds Under 23s and is likely out for the season but, on a more positive note, Izzy Brown returned after 10 months out in the same game. Mason Mount earned an England call up but he didn't get on to make his debut and Tammy Abraham's form is hotting up at Aston Villa.
Premier League 2 results
Arsenal 4-5 Chelsea
Chelsea 2-3 Brighton
Manchester City 1-4 Chelsea
UEFA Youth League results
IF Elfsborg 0-3 Chelsea
Molde 0-4 Chelsea
Chelsea 10-1 Molde
U18 Premier League results
Newcastle United 0-3 Chelsea
Chelsea 2-1 Norwich City
West Ham 0-5 Chelsea
Brighton 1-2 Chelsea
