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Chelsea: Summer transfer for 25-year old GK (Matej Delac, clickbait sucks)

By George Perry

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 16: General view of the Chelsea corner flag during The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Chelsea and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on February 16, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 16: General view of the Chelsea corner flag during The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Chelsea and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on February 16, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Thibaut Courtois is now Chelsea’s longest-serving senior-level player. The Blues shed Matej Delac, sending him to AC Horsens after seven and a half years of pointless service.

First John Terry, now Matej Delac. Sometimes it feels like Chelsea really don’t have a sense of tradition or heritage to go with their lack of history. The Blues sent Matej Delac to AC Horsens, currently in sixth-place in the Danish Super League. In the most appropriate ending possible, Delac goes to AC Horsens on a free transfer after spending the first half of the season not even on loan.

Ironically, Delac just played his 150th senior-level game, ostensibly putting him in the magical zone for Chelsea to recall a loanee the first team.

Delac’s career at Chelsea saw him play for Inter Sapresic, FK Sarajevo, Royal Excel Mouscron, Novi Sad, Arlesian, Budejovice and Vitoria Guimaraes’ B side. Those clubs are in his native Croatia, the neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, other neighbor Serbia, France, Czech Republic and Portugal. He also spent time on loan at Vitesse, but like Chelsea itself, never actually played there.

In addition to all those domestic leagues, Delac also has Europa League experience. He played in four qualifiers and two group stage games while at Novi Sad in 2013/14.

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Delac’s Chelsea “career” started with work permits issues which prohibited Chelsea from registering him with the Premier League. He maintained as positive an attitude as is possible over the years, recognizing the factors beyond anyone’s control as well as the unique experience he gained from playing across Europe. However, unsurprisingly by the time he became Chelsea’s longest-serving player, he was ready to surrender that title to someone who actually plays for the club, and to find a forever home for himself.

While EU work permits are beyond the purview of this humble, simple country football writer, Chelsea did have a say in his future at every stage of the last eight years. They could have sold him to any of those clubs, or any other club who had the footballing need and bureaucratic permission for a Croatian goalkeeper. Delac is the obscene extremity of Chelsea’s loan army. Critics of the system often joke that no one in Chelsea actually knows everyone who is out on loan. Matej Delac may not laugh too much at those comments.

Hopefully Chelsea will vow never to repeat this incident. There is no excuse for keeping a player in the loan army after age 23. There is equally no excuse for keeping a player in the loan army after three or more years without a single first team appearance. Delac was an anonymous symbol of Chelsea’s often disgraceful youth and loan policy.

Next: N'Golo Kante is the model player Chelsea need, and other lessons learnt in loss

May the next seven and half years of his career go better – and be more permanent – than those he just concluded.

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