Chelsea’s loan army has swelled to its largest size ever. The majority are nearby but the majority also have loans below their perceived level.
Technically, the window for loans is not fully closed as some leagues are still open for business. But the loan army is already larger than it ever has been with a whopping 40 players away from the club.
Interestingly, the demographic of the loan army has changed. In the last few years, Chelsea has shifted more and more towards loans in England as opposed to on the continent. The players are closer, have less of a culture shock, and can be observed by the club more easily.
But just as more players have been sent out through England, more and more have been put in leagues that could be seen as below their level. This can have both good and bad consequences.
To start with, the majority of Chelsea’s loan army is in England at 21 of the 40 players. They are split across the top four divisions with two in the Premier League, 13 in the Championship, four in League One, and the remaining two in League Two.
There are benefits to keeping the players close. Chelsea can send scouts out to view their players and they also have easier access to their progress. Furthermore, the bedding in time for the players should be shorter as they are not entering a brand new culture.
But some of the players in England are clearly at a level below where they should be. Tammy Abraham and Izzy Brown for instance. Both have already proven that they can make it in the Championship. Take Dujon Sterling who was incredibly highly rated but could only manage a League One loan. Even Mason Mount, who is in a beneficial location due to Frank Lampard, is taking a step backwards from Vitesse.
What this basically comes down to is playing time versus challenge. Whereas before Chelsea would risk playing time for the challenge, now the club has taken the opposite approach. And while a lot of playing time where the player succeeds can be beneficial, it could also be harmful to the player if they are not growing as a result. Confidence is great but fickle.
Loans elsewhere seem to follow the “challenge at the risk of minutes” formula. Of course, most of the players on loan in the other four of the top divisions have already done time at challenging loans. The Netherlands too, for the most part, has Chelsea players taken out of their comfort zone.
The remainder of the loan army is spread out around the world and in the second divisions of France, Spain, and the Netherlands. Those are the players who have no chance at making it at Chelsea. They are too far away for the Blues to pay attention and at locations that offer so little challenge that Chelsea would simply not be interested.
Loans are always a balancing act between difficulty and playing time. Chelsea, for the most part, has used England this year for the latter while they have used the other top leagues as the former. Time will tell if anyone makes the leap to the first team under the new set up.