Ruben Loftus-Cheek is quickly becoming Chelsea’s cautionary tale

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was once the next big thing at Chelsea. But poor decisions from above and below have destroyed his chances in Blue.

By all accounts, this was Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s moment. After a successful spell on loan (albeit broken up by a long term injury), the Englishman earned his place in the World Cup squad. His return to Chelsea was supposed to be triumphant. Finally, he was ready to play for the Blues.

But Ross Barkley proved he had life in him yet. And because Barkley was not at the World Cup, he was able to impress upon Maurizio Sarri much sooner. But it was the signing of Mateo Kovacic on loan that truly harmed Loftus-Cheek. Here was an elite player from Real Madrid who may only be staying a year, but he was more than enough to keep Loftus-Cheek down the depth chart.

Loftus-Cheek opted to stay at Chelsea despite being so far down the depth chart. Whether that was his choice or the club’s, it was a mistake. And Loftus-Cheek has seen a lot of those mistakes in his career. Some are on him, some on the club. But regardless, the Englishman is becoming a cautionary tale for Chelsea’s youth.

It all started back when Jose Mourinho was manager. During that time, Loftus-Cheek was by and far one of the best youth players in the Chelsea academy. Even Mourinho, not much of a youth kind of manager, recognized Loftus-Cheek’s talent and wanted him to stay with the first team.

When Mourinho was fired, Loftus-Cheek was on the cusp of breaking into the first team. He had been impressing the Portuguese manager and when the results started to turn south, Loftus-Cheek was believed to have a solution. But then Guus Hiddink took charge and righted the ship, but he saw little need for Loftus-Cheek.

When Antonio Conte took over at Chelsea, many believed that he would turn Loftus-Cheek into the new Paul Pogba. Conte had other plans. The Italian manager saw the Englishman as more of an attacker or even as a striker. So he played Loftus-Cheek higher up the pitch when he did opt to play him.

The next season, Chelsea saw several key midfielders leave and brought in many that they hoped would succeed. Loftus-Cheek, recognizing the pivotal point his career was at, finally opted to head out on loan to prove himself. At Crystal Palace, he quickly became a fan favorite as he played all around a midfield diamond. An injury bisected his season, but he was able to show good enough form before and after to make the England World Cup squad.

But he rarely saw the pitch in Russia. The times he did varied between impactful and anonymous. More than anything, he was a victim of England’s late run as he missed the opportunity to impress at the club.

When he returned, Sarri had already taken a liking to Barkley and had decided (or the club had decided) that another midfielder was needed. Kovacic was brought in as a stop gap solution (reports of a buy clause are incredibly mixed). Loftus-Cheek, at yet another vital moment in his career and with good clubs sniffing around for a loan opted to stay and fight for his spot. That is admirable, but ultimately foolhardy.

The truth is that Loftus-Cheek has barely had a professional career and he is nearly 23. Conte’s “100 appearances” notion may have been high, but it rings true for Loftus-Cheek. He should have been playing full seasons years ago. Instead he opted to stay and fight at a club in constant flux or the club told him he would stay. Regardless, at this point in his career, Loftus-Cheek should have closer to 150 or even 200 appearances professionally. He currently has 60 over five seasons. For context, Mason Mount has 54 appearances since the start of last season.

Loftus-Cheek is a cautionary tale for the youth. Trying to “fight for your place” is admirable, but Chelsea is a big club. They cannot easily take chances on players and the constant changing of managers is a massive reset on every youth players’ opportunity. Loftus-Cheek should have been pushed out on loan sooner while he still had a chance.

But now, the Englishman is on the outside of the Blues looking in. Even if he goes on loan in January, the chances of him making it at Chelsea are slim to none. He has wasted too much time or had too much of his time wasted. The key development years for him are nearly over and he has nearly nothing to show for it.

Youth players need to take a look at the situation and realize that while fighting is alluring, playing time is eye catching. Mount understood this and went on loan last season and this season. He is earning massive plaudits simply because he is able to play and grow week in and week out. Loftus-Cheek missed the opportunity and will likely never have another chance to fight his way into a Chelsea shirt.