At the tender age of just 14, Chelsea decided to release a budding young prodigy.
At the time, not much would have been made of that decision. Many an academy prospect will get dumped at a young age and go on to enjoy careers away from the game.
However, the boy in this case has made those at Cobham eat their words; Declan Rice.
Once upon a time, he was deemed too small and so off he went in search of a club that valued him more dearly. That happened to be West Ham United, the side he has gone on to captain to a European final this season.
The midfielder has also reached the final of the European Championship as a mainstay of Gareth Southgate's England squad.
Inevitably, the 24-year-old has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge but Chelsea's London rivals, Arsenal, are thought to now be the favourites to secure his signature. However, what if Todd Boehly and co could bring a very similar player to west London this summer?
Well, a deal could well be on the table for a certain Moises Caicedo.
What's the latest on Moises Caicedo's future?
The Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder was coincidently linked heavily with the Gunners back in January.
The Ecuador international handed in a transfer request in a bid to secure a move away but it ended in disappointment. Instead of moving then, Roberto De Zerbi promised a switch at the end of the campaign, something he now looks set to seal.
Arsenal remain interested in the £90m man, yet Chelsea are now believed to be at the front of the queue. That's according to one VBETnews journalist who took to Twitter yesterday to say:
"Chelsea are frontrunners in the race to sign Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo."
The news comes amid a busy period of transfer activity for this season's underperformers who also appear to be close to landing Manuel Ugarte from Sporting CP, with the player reportedly favouring a move to Mauricio Pochettino's outfit.
Who does Moises Caicedo play like?
According to FBref's similar players model, Caicedo is comparable to the likes of Thiago Alcantara, Jorginho and Nemanja Matic.
However, it's the player that falls fourth in this statistical comparison that will set pulses racing at the Bridge; a certain Rice.
That will arguably come as no surprise given the position they play on the pitch, but it outlines them as two assets willing to impact games in a whole manner of ways.
The first similarity to note is their tough-tackling nature with Caicedo winning 1.43 tackles per 90 this season compared to Rice's 1.04. They make an almost identical number of blocks too, proving their ability to be in the right place at the right time more often than not to close down a shooting opportunity. The former makes 1.23 to the latter's 1.24 per 90 minutes.
That ability to read the game is aptly summed up the number of interceptions these two midfield warriors make with the Brighton ace registering 1.60 per 90 to the West Ham captain's 1.73.
Although Rice is more of a marauder, making 2.42 progressive carries every 90 to the Chelsea target's 1.09, they are similarly active in the final third, with the former registering 2.75 shot-creating actions to the latter's 2.52.
What this all outlines is that they are incredibly combative in central areas, boasting the ability to grab the game by the scruff of the neck in every third of the pitch.
Chelsea may well rue their decision to let Rice depart ten years ago but in the Brighton "revelation" – as he was dubbed by Jamie Redknapp, they could finally make up for that hurt.
It will cost a pretty penny to prise him away from the south coast but it would surely be worth it.