Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports
Chelsea FC midfielder and England international Josh McEachran joins the long list of Chelsea youngsters sent out on loan as the 21-year-old joins Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem for the season. McEachran joins fellow Chelsea teammates, right-back Wallace and attacking midfielder Bertrand Traoré at the club.
McEachran has been held in high regard by many Chelsea fans, as many have tipped the youngster to become a regular on the first-team. But disappointing loan spells at Watford and Wigan may have hindered his progress.
While he featured 17 times for Chelsea in 2010 under former boss Carlo Ancelotti and also became the youngest player to play in the UEFA Champions League at just 17-years-old, he has failed to impress since and could be falling out of Chelsea’s future plans.
While he showed promise in his early appearances for the club, he has failed to make an impact since and as a result has gone out on five different loan spells.
Vitesse and its close ties with Chelsea and Roman Abramovich has essentially become Chelsea’s development team as McEachran is the fourteenth youth prospect to be sent to the Dutch club on loan. Last season, Christian Atsu, Lucas Piazon, Bertrand Traoré and former blue Patrick van Aanholt were all loaned to the club last year and were all first-team starters.
Piazon and Atsu had fantastic seasons at Vitesse that helped them get loan spells this year at Eintracht Frankfurt and Everton respectively and Atsu was named player of the year by the fans.
Hopefully this loan spell can help McEachran fulfill his potential as he only has two more years left on his contract, so he needs to give Chelsea a reason to sign him to a new deal. I feel like regardless of what happens during his time in the Netherlands, Chelsea would still give him a new deal as he is one of the better young English talents.