Tammy Abraham rumour reflects Chelsea’s failed loan policy
The prospect of Chelsea sending Tammy Abraham on loan to the Championship’s Bristol City exemplifies everything that is wrong with the club’s loan and youth development policy.
Tammy Abraham should reject a loan to any club that isn’t playing first division football. Abraham may not be ready to join Chelsea’s starting XI, particularly not with Michy Batshuayi and Diego Costa ahead of him. Chelsea will best advance Abraham’s career by having him back up Batshuayi and Costa as a substitute and cup-tournament replacement.
If Chelsea is hellbent on loaning Abraham, they can do right by loaning him to Real Betis. Real Betis is the best loan destination currently working with Chelsea. Betis is firmly planted in La Liga. Chelsea’s loanees at Real Betis will regularly face the likes of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona – the level of competition that will prepare them for the Premier League.
Betis’ current managerial is former Chelsea player Gus Poyet. Poyet understands the expectations and pressure on Chelsea loanees. He know what the skills they need to succeed, and what they need to prove to ensure they will return to Stamford Bridge and not be permanently transferred elsewhere. Poyet knows what it means to not only be a professional at the highest level but to be a professional at the highest level for Chelsea FC.
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Betis, like Vitesse Arnhem, also offers Chelsea loanees to develop chemistry with each other. When these Blues return to Stamford Bridge, they will already know some of their teammates’ strengths, weaknesses and instincts. Conversely, Chelsea’s management will be able to see how their loanees interact, and shape the line-up appropriately.
Chelsea FC’s loan policy has been a truly unbridled mistake. It has been a complete and utter failure, and Chelsea simply must do better. When Jurgen Klopp took over at Liverpool he immediately slimmed down the youth system. Klopp believed in “quality over quantity.” Chelsea FC must quickly start taking notes.
Too many talented young players have had their careers stalled and ruined by the lack of personal touch and simple human decency displayed by Chelsea. Technical director Michael Emenalo sets the tone for the club’s personnel and development policy. The club’s dismissive attitude towards and mismanagement of these young men’s careers falls firmly on his shoulders.
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Patrick Bamford is a prime example. Bamford showed the potential to play in the Premier League for Chelsea. He turned down the opportunity to attend Harvard University because “you can’t really turn down the chance to go to Chelsea.”
"If I keep biding my time until then and keep improving, hopefully I will get my chance. [I] heard their plans and heard the plan until you are 23, I thought playing with better players, and the coaching will be of a higher standard, so I will improve. I don’t know what it is like for other players but I still have my sights set on Chelsea. I have to be patient. – Goal"
That was in 2014, when he was on loan to Middlesbrough after previous loans to MK Dons and Derby County. Since then, Chelsea has continued to reward him for his ambition and loyalty with loans to Crystal Palace and Norwich City, where he earned a combined 13 Premier League appearances.
They say that the best thing someone can do to get better in any walk of life is to work with those who are better than them. That could not be more true in football. Chelsea FC simply must loan their players to higher quality clubs. Otherwise, Chelsea risks transforming them from the world conquering youth players they are into bluntly average players.
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Ideally, Chelsea would keep their young players at Cobham and use the club’s world-class coaching staff and facilities to develop them into the players Chelsea needs. The academy coaches would surely welcome the change from seeing the bright lights of their efforts and skills diminished beyond recognition after repeated loans into the football darkness.