Chelsea loan Mario Pasalic far away from the first team
Mario Pasalic has signed a new Chelsea contract extension and has embarked on a loan spell with Spartak Moscow, far away from Antonio Conte’s plans.
Look! Mario Pasalic is still a Chelsea player! The midfielder signed a contract extension on Wednesday before heading out to this season’s loan destination. He will be plying his trade over in Russia with Spartak Moscow, a place where few people connected with the club will be watching him.
Having joined Chelsea in 2014, Pasalic has failed to make a senior appearance so far. Instead, he has spent time with Elche, AS Monaco and AC Milan.
He was part of Antonio Conte’s pre-season squad this summer and he even featured in the fixtures. However, he will not be part of the senior squad when the campaign proper gets underway.
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
At the age of 22, time is essentially up on Pasalic’s Chelsea dream. And that is a shame. He came to Stamford Bridge with a lot of potential and the fact that the likes of Milan and Monaco loaned him prove how highly-rated he is.
Unfortunately, he has just never really been in the conversation to be bled into the senior Chelsea team. This contract extension (a four-year deal) seems solely a ploy to preserve his value. Blues management will be hoping that he performs well, but only so his transfer value increases.
From his perspective, he should also view this as an opportunity to remind everyone of how talented he is. The Russian league may have less eyes on it than Serie A, but he will be playing Champions League football.
If Pasalic can seize the European stage, there will undoubtedly be a number of top continental sides knocking on his door. Hell, Conte may even take notice.
Next: Chelsea’s latest desperation transfer target: Ross Barkley
That’s all the Croatian can hope for as another former Chelsea prospect prepares himself for another loan. How he has managed to avoid Vitesse thus far is a debate for another day. What do you think of this news? Does Pasalic still have a future in West London? Sound off in the comments below!