Former Chelsea wonderkid Gael Kakuta has insisted he could have ended his career at the club if not for the multiple issues that plagued his time at Stamford Bridge.

Kakuta, now 32 and on the books at Ligue 2 side Amiens, spent six years in West London but his dream move to the Premier League turned into a nightmare.

After being drafted into the Blues' youth ranks and winning the academy's Player of the Year award in his very first season, Kakuta was propelled into the first-team.

Guy Hillion, the scout who unearthed him at Lens in 2009, had described the ace as the 'most gifted player of his generation' while Michael Ballack had also praised him.

But after signing a four-year contract in the wake of his top-flight and Champions League debuts, Kakuta went on to feature just six times at senior level.

Former Chelsea wonderkid Gael Kakuta's Premier League dream became a nightmare

He also endured a host of unsuccessful loan spells that sent his career into turmoil.

Now in the waning days of his time on the pitch, Kakuta has reflected back wistfully on his Chelsea stint and admitted he made a mistake in signing a long-term deal. 

'I think I'd still be at Chelsea today if things turned out like they were supposed to,' Kakuta told SPORTbible. 'In fact, I'd have finished my career there.'

'I remember after my first training session with the first-team, [Carlo] Ancelotti looked at me and just winked,' Kakuta added. 

'I could tell my teammates were impressed by their facial expressions.

'At the time, I was thinking, "Okay, now this is serious." 

'Before that, I was just enjoying it. It's not that I wasn't taking it seriously but people were putting too much pressure on the guys. There were lots of talented players who would come into first-team training and get very nervous. I wasn't like that at all.'

He was brought crashing back down to earth after struggling for consistent first-team action, however, leaving his fitness levels severely depleted. 

'I was unfit,' Kakuta said. 'We played in a cup game against Newcastle United and I was blowing after about three minutes. I was thinking, "How is that possible?" 

'Then I got kicked on my back and I couldn't move. After that I needed to put more work into my fitness levels but realistically it was too late. At that level, it's too late.'

Despite his woes, Kakuta continued to attract attention during his sporadic outings for club and country, leading to him signing fresh terms at Chelsea in 2010.

'I was very naive to sign that four-year contract,' he said. 'Instead of renewing, I should have left for another team that would have treated me like a first-team player rather than a youngster who came to the first team.' 

Kakuta eventually departed Chelsea for Sevilla in a permanent deal in 2015 and went on to play for Hebei China Fortune, Rayo Vallecano, Amiens and Lens.