Tomas Kalas playing in west London, but no closer to a spot at Chelsea
By George Perry
Tomas Kalas is closer to Chelsea then he has been in years, spending the season on loan at Fulham. But despite what his temporary manager thinks, the Czech defender is no closer to a spot with the Blues.
Tomas Kalas will finally be playing regular first-team football in west London after four years of loans interspersed with three Chelsea appearances. Unfortunately those loans – including 77 appearances at Vitesse and 47 at newly-promoted Middlesbrough – were not enough to bring him to Chelsea. Instead, he’ll be just down the road, back in the Championship at Fulham.
Convenience is apparently a key factor in the decision-making process for Michael Emenalo and Chelsea’s scouting team. Fulham’s manager Slavisa Jokanovic thinks that Fulham’s proximity to Chelsea will be spur Kalas’s ascension to Chelsea’s first team.
"He has done an important job for us and I believe this is a good place for him to get the benefits of playing more games as it is not his first loan… [W]e are so close to Stamford Bridge here, so they can check easily if Tomas is a player can help at Chelsea in the future or not. – Evening Standard"
We have spent plenty of time trying to divine how Michael Emenalo and friends implement Chelsea’s loan policy. We seem to have overlooked travel time, convenience and ease. Seems as plausible as anything else we’ve proposed.
Tomas Kalas has done everything by the book to earn the right to vie for a first team spot. Two years in the Eredivisie, a Premier League debut under Jose Mourinho and one and a half seasons in the Championship. If that is insufficient to earn a pre-season tour’s worth of auditions, it might be time to move on.
And Tomas Kalas has entertained the notion of moving on. In May, Kalas replied “Yes, why not!” when asked about the possibility of a permanent transfer to Middlesbrough. The club had recently earned promotion and he was in good standing with the fans and manager. He seemed content to swap the possibility of playing at Chelsea for the all-but-guaranteed opportunity to be in a Premier League starting XI.
Middlesbrough would have gladly retained Kalas for their first season back in the top flight. Kalas, obviously, would be thrilled to stay. Middlesbrough will not challenge Chelsea at the top of the table. The Blues had no reason to fear they would be loaning the instrument of their downfall.
Chelsea could not even do self-serving well in the Kalas affair. Chelsea denied Kalas a season of Premier League experience, which is bad enough. But they also denied themselves the value that experience would add to Kalas’s arrival in Chelsea’s first team or, more likely, his sale.
Take a bow, Michael Emenalo, you created a lose-lose situation. At least you made Fulham happy.
Next: Debate: How will the David Luiz experiment play out
Tomas Kalas has little to gain from another season in the Championship. Contrary to what Jokanovic thinks, playing at Fulham will not advanced Kalas’ career with Chelsea. Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and now David Luiz all stand in his way. Kalas’ best hope is to impress sufficiently at Fulham that some team makes Chelsea an offer that even Michael Emenalo can’t refuse.