There are many Chelsea FC players on loan, so here is Part 1 of the Loan Report
Over the course of the next couple of weeks I will be writing my thoughts on Chelsea Football Club’s tactics in the loan market.
The first article of this three part series will focus on the more high profile departures deemed not worthy of a place in the Chelsea first team squad. I will affectionately refer to these players as the ‘Chelsea expendables’ and I will explain why I believe that the Blues insist on loaning these players out, rather than negotiating a permanent transfer.
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Chelsea has built quite the reputation for strategically playing the loan system and this summer has proven no different. When the latest transfer window closed, Chelsea had loaned out in excess of 30 players in total. The vast majority of which are young players that have either been with the club since childhood or have been plucked from football academies from around the world. I will be focussing more on a selection of these youngsters in the second part of this report, but for now I’d like to concentrate on the Chelsea expendables.
Expendable (adjective): not important. Synonyms include: disposable; dispensable; non-essential and replaceable.
Since time began, football clubs have sold players deemed non-essential and disposable. If it is said that a team is only as strong as its weakest player then logic would dictate that you identify the weak link, remove it and upgrade it with a stronger alternative.
Why then does Chelsea insist on loaning out players identified as surplus to requirements, rather than taking a more permanent course of action?
First let me profile my Chelsea expendables and then I will answer that question.
Next: Chelsea Expendable No. 1: Mohamed Salah
1. Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah (full name Mohamed Salah Ghaly) is a 23-year-old attacking midfielder, who is predominately left footed. The Egyptian has fantastic pace and is very direct in his style of play, often running purposely at an opponent, relying on his skill and speed to get past his man.
Salah was signed by Chelsea in the 2013-14 winter transfer window on the 26th of January, for fee of £11m. The winger first came to Chelsea’s attention during the 2012-13 season when, during the two legged semi final of the Europa League, Salah scored a very impressive goal at Stamford Bridge. The following season Salah repeated and exceeded the same trick, scoring in both group games in the Champions League, which saw FC Basel beat Chelsea in both ties.
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Applying the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ notion literally, Chelsea signed Salah a mere 2 months after he had been our destroyer. Jose Mourinho himself confirmed this stance by saying: “First of all, he won’t score against Chelsea – which is a good thing”.
Upon signing for the London club, Salah had this to say about his move:
"I’m very happy to sign for Chelsea. I hope I can make the Chelsea supporters happy and have a good career at the club for many years."
In the year that followed Salah’s move to Stamford Bridge, the young winger only managed to play in 13 games for club, 7 of which came from the substitutes bench. He scored only 2 goals in the process. Unfortunately he didn’t make Chelsea supporters happy, as he had wished.
Unfortunately he didn’t make Chelsea supporters happy, as he had wished
Consequentially, it was no surprise that Chelsea loaned Salah to Fiorentina on transfer deadline day of the 2014-15 winter transfer window.
For the remainder of last season Salah played great football for the Italian club, scoring 6 goals and assisting 3 in 13 appearances. For fans of Fiorentina, Chelsea and Salah himself, it was great to see the spark back in his play.
After his successful spell in Florence, the Egyptian returned to Chelsea full of confidence and there was a lot of hope amongst Chelsea fans that we would benefit greatly from his newly found form.
Alas, after a turbulent Summer in which senior officials at both Fiorentina and Inter Milan were threatening and counter threatening legal action as to who could sign the player, it was Roma who swooped on the 6th of August to take the player back to Italy. The transfer was officially confirmed to be a 12 month loan and included the option to make the deal permanent.
Next: Chelsea Expendable No. 2: Juan Cuadrado
2. Juan Cuadrado
Juan Cuadrado (full name Juan Guillermo Cuadrado Bello) is a 27-year-old winger, hailing from Colombia. The South American, much like Salah, is well known for his fast and direct style of play.
Unlike Salah, Cuadrado didn’t come to Chelsea’s attention as a result of scoring against the club. The Colombian flyer had built a reputation for himself during his time in Serie A, scoring or assisting a goal 41 times in 96 games for Chelsea’s favourite Italian friend, Fiorentina.
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It was during the 2014 World Cup when Cuadrado really shot to fame. Alongside star player James Rodriguez, he helped his national team reach the quarter finals of the competition. Cuadrado finished the tournament with the joint most assists (4), tied with Germany’s Toni Kroos, despite playing 2 less games than the World Cup winning Real Madrid midfielder.
Chelsea signed Cuadrado for a fee of £23.3m (potentially rising to £26.8m) during the same 2014-15 winter transfer window that saw Salah head in the other direction. It was also the same window that saw German forward Andre Schurrle leave the London club for VfL Wolfsburg, so a replacement was needed to ensure depth in the attacking third of the pitch.
After joining Chelsea, Cuadrado had the following to say about his move to England:
"This is a great club and honestly it is like a dream to join the Chelsea family and to know that the manager believes in me. I’m happy."
During his spell at Stamford Bridge, the Colombian managed only 13 appearances, 9 of which came from the substitute’s bench, providing no goals or assists in the process. It appeared as though Jose Mourinho’s early belief in the player did not last long at all!
Cuadrado very quickly became a source of frustration for Chelsea fans
At times Cuadrado looked as though he wouldn’t be out of place playing for a team in the lower divisions; such was his wastefulness and odd positional sense. I am perhaps doing players in the Championship and League 1 a disservice.
He very quickly became a source of frustration for the Chelsea fans, despite the team marching to the title. It was all too apparent that he didn’t possess the quality that Blues supporters had become accustomed to.
Last week, on the 25th of August, Juventus came to Cuadrado’s rescue, taking him back to the league where he had performed so admirably, on a season long loan.
Next: Chelsea Expendable No. 3: Marko Marin
3. Marko Marin
Marko Marin, like Salah and Cuadrado, is a fast, skilful winger, who came to Chelsea with a reputation for taking on defenders and producing moments that would have fans off their feet in anticipation and excitement.
Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Serbian parents, Marin went on to represent Germany 16 times at International level, having lived in Frankfurt from the age of 2.
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Marin played 84 games for German side Borussia Monchengladbach between 2006 and 2009, scoring 11 goals along the way, but it was during his time at Werder Bremen that he really came to the attention of a wider audience.
Playing alongside Mesut Ozil during the 2010-11 season the young German scored 4 goals and provided 11 assists, which led to the national press giving Marin the somewhat flattering nickname ‘German Messi’.
Following the sale of Ozil to Real Madrid, Marin’s form dipped significantly, but Chelsea evidently felt that they had seen enough of the young winger to take a gamble on his potential, signing him for a fee believed to be in the region of £6.5m on the 28th April 2012.
After signing for Chelsea, Marin had this to say about the move:
"I am looking forward to the challenge of playing in the Premier League with such an established club."
Unfortunately for the German international, he couldn’t establish himself in the Premier League, as he has only managed to play in 9 games, scoring 1 and assisting 1.
Chelsea soon moved the German international on, with loan spells at Sevilla and then Fiorentina (them again!) between 2013 and 2015.
On the 25th of August Chelsea announced that they had allowed Marin to make his 3rd loan move, where he has signed with the Turkish team Trabzonspor for the season. The deal includes the option to buy, should Marin impress in the Super Lig. Fans of the Trabzonspor will be hoping that Marin finds his German Messi form, and not what he had shown since the days he played alongside the fantastic Ozil.
Next: Shouldn't Chelsea Sell The Expendables?
Shouldn’t Chelsea Sell The Expendables?
Perhaps the best place to start is to consider why Chelsea bought the players in the first place and why they are now no longer required.
Salah, Cuadrado and Marin all have something in common. Having built a reputation for exciting football and represented their national team at major tournaments, all three men are fast, lightweight, skilful wingers.
With Chelsea favouring a 4-2-3-1 formation in recent years, it is not surprising that the club has searched far and wide to fill the attacking 3 positions, but competition is fierce. With Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian the regulars behind the lone striker and Jose Mourinho consistently sticking with those he most trusts, game time is always going to be limited and opportunities to impress all too rare.
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Unfortunately for the Chelsea expendables they only managed 35 games combined in the short time that they played at the club.
However, the fees spent by the Blues to bring these three players into the club totals £40.8m. This isn’t an insignificant amount, even for a club as rich as the Blues.
Here lies the cause of Chelsea’s insistence in loaning out players who have arrived at the club with good reputations and ability, but have ultimately failed to deliver.
Where Financial Fair Play restrictions are at the forefront of the minds of decision makers at football clubs around the world, a significant outlay must show a return on investment.
So if Chelsea were to buy three players for a combined amount of £40.8m and those same individuals go on to play poorly and be left out of the team as a result, their value would decrease with every minute spent not playing.
It is here where the club effectively takes advantage of the loan market.
By sending an under-performing player to a big club in their respective league, this tactic enables Chelsea to help rebuild the reputation and form of the expendable, thus increasing their potential resale value.
Salah is a prime example of a player rejuvenated during his time at Fiorentina last season. It was conceivable that he could have been sold this summer, but Chelsea clearly felt that they wouldn’t fully recoup their £11m outlay, so allowed the Egyptian to go back to Italy on loan.
In Italy and Turkey, Chelsea have found willing partners in this win-win solution. The Blues remove a weakness from their squad in the hope that the player, determined to reach their previous performance levels, excels to such an extent that he comes back an improved player or his value has increased to a point where the club will be happy to sell.
In Roma, Fiorentina and Trabzonspor, Chelsea would already have buyers waiting in the wings and what fantastic business that would be.
Make sure that you stick with us at The Pride Of London for Parts 2 and 3 of the Chelsea FC Loan Report.
Next: Chelsea FC vs Crystal Palace: Post-Match Reflections