Chelsea loan army lights up EFL, Eredivisie opening weekend (VIDEO)

Chelsea FC still have a week until their Premier League campaign starts. However, several cadets in the loan army kicked off their English Football League and Eredivisie season with great results.

Chelsea’s loan rangers need every opportunity to prove their worth to their foster club and to the Blues’. The youngsters took advantage of the first matchday of the new season to do just that. Many of the Chelsea players already on loan began their seasons this weekend, and almost all of them began their stints on very positive notes.

Goalkeepers Mitchell Beeney (Crawley City) and Matej Delac (Royal Excel Mouscron, Belgium) were the only ones who did not see playing time on a day where their fellow loanees made an impact on the pitch.

Tomas Kalas put in a strong and mature performance in the heart of Fulham’s defense as they beat Newcastle at home 1-0. The young defender joined Fulham under somewhat surprising circumstances. He has gained the manager’s trust and is playing where he belongs, in the center of defense. Performances like this will help him get his somewhat stagnant career back on track.

More from The Pride of London

• Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea player ratings: Abysmal, reckless, wasteful
• Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points
• Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
• Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
• Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1

Jordan Houghton (Doncaster Rovers) may not be a household name for Chelsea fans but he has been a key part of a FA Youth Cup winning team. He captained the Chelsea U21s before spending last season on loan at Gillingham and Plymouth Argyle, where he played a key part in their push for promotion to League One.

A technically and tactically sound midfielder, Houghton was part of the first team squad that traveled to the United States this pre-season. Houghton slotted straight into Doncaster Rovers’ starting XI, as he had at his previous loans.

He played 75 strong minutes before being substituted. The score at that point was 2-1 and the Rovers looked to be cruising to an away win over Accrington Stanley. However, a late collapse resulted in a 3-2 defeat.

Although Alex Kiwomya (Crewe Alexandra), Kasey Palmer (Huddersfield Town) and Tammy Abraham (Bristol City) started on the bench, all three of them played a key role in their respective clubs’ victories. Palmer came on and scored what would be a winning goal with his first touch in the 79th minute.

Shortly afterward, Kiwomya – who came on at the hour mark – scored for Crewe Alexandra in the 80th minute. Not wanting to be left out, Tammy Abraham bundled in a goal which would level the score up and spark Bristol City’s comeback in the 81st minute.

The coincidence was not lost on Tammy.

The Vitesse boys also cruised to a comfortable 4-1 victory vs Willem 11 on the first matchday of the new season. Nathan scored two goals by being at the right place at the right time to knock in rebounds. Aside from the fortuitous brace, the Brazilian’s performance was overall lackluster.

His English counterpart, Lewis Baker, didn’t fare all that well either. He started shakily at the base of midfield, playing a few loose passes in his own half. He gradually moved around more to get involved in build up play through midfield.

Although he grew out of that sloppiness and put in a half-decent performance on the ball, his work off the ball was not very good. Baker showed a lack of sharpness that his effort could not overcome. His game should get back on track once he returns to peak fitness.

Chelsea’s loan army once again proved that they could fill out a decent starting XI of their own. Share your excitement in the comments below!