Chelsea has put a lot of hope into different players over the years, only to see injury steal their promise away. Subsequent loans did not help.
Roughly beginning with Michael Emenalo’s tenor as technical director, Chelsea had a habit of snapping of nearly every promising wonder kid they could get their hands on. Most were subsequently sent out on loan to develop and a few continued to show the promise expected.
Then injuries happened. Some major, others minor that simply spiraled. Regardless, these players struggle to rebound and restart where they left off. Many would simply see loan after loan before Chelsea finally sold them.
This list is certainly not exhaustive. Marco van Ginkel is perhaps one of the highest profile players to be injured and struggle to return. But the four players included here were all very highly regarded before they got lost to their injuries and trapped in the loan army. While players like Kurt Zouma have shown that the cycle can be broken, others like Ruben Loftus-Cheek are too early in the process to know how they will rebound. These four are simply cases of what could have been that hopefully Loftus-Cheek can avoid adding his name to.
1. Lucas Piazon
There is perhaps no more famous of a case of high potential players derailed by injury and constant loans than Piazon. He came at a time when most big clubs were looking to snap up their own Neymar before the price got ridiculous. Initially, Piazon very much looked like that sure bet of a player.
Piazon played very little for Chelsea before his first loan. The club ambitiously sent him to Malaga in La Liga which proved to be just a little too much for the Brazilian. The club took a step back to their favorite destination in Vitesse which worked wonders.
After that things went quite well for Piazon. A successful loan at Frankfurt was followed by a strange yet successful back step to Reading. Fulham then snapped Piazon up next and while he did well, there remained no place for him at Chelsea.
Then his injury happened. He fractured his ankle and spent a long spell on the sidelines. He eventually returned to action for Fulham before seeing his way Italy. Following that, he remained at Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri where it appeared he would finally get a chance. It never happened and he was loaned out once again.
Piazon had many false dawns and close calls, but at this point it appears that Chelsea is simply killing time before moving him along. He never fulfilled his early promise, but he got very close several times and never quit working towards his goals.
2. Izzy Brown
It was clear how highly rated Brown was by West Brom fans when they booed him at every touch when he played against them for Chelsea. It was also clear how highly rated he was at Chelsea given it was Jose Mourinho giving him his playing time.
Like Piazon, Brown very much kicked off at Vitesse before heading to the Championship. His time in the Championship went well enough that newly promoted Brighton decided to bring him in. Unfortunately, he suffered an ACL injury that he is still fighting to fully recover from.
While recovering, he was sent on loan to Leeds United. He faced several injury setbacks and Leed’s manager Marcelo Biesla had little time for Brown. His time there was nearly exclusively spent with their youth team.
He was briefly given a look at by Frank Lampard in preseason but it was clear that he was not what was required. Brown was once again loaned into the Championship to Luton Town. There, he has begun to make a name for himself once more but it is clear that he is a long way away from finding time at Chelsea.
Brown always felt like one of the most promising of his age group but his injuries and poor loan to Leed’s (never trust Biesla) has derailed him nearly completely. He is doing well to rebuild at Luton, but time simply is not on his side anymore.
3. Baba Rahman
When Chelsea bought Rahman, he was statistically one of the best left backs in the Bundesliga. He also had the weird honor(?) of following Filipe Luis’ exit from Chelsea despite the former being regarded as one of the world’s best left backs just a year prior.
He actually did well given that 2015/2016 was the way it was. When Antonio Conte took over and yet another left back came in, it was decided that Rahman would go on loan to Schalke. That seemed like a fantastic idea until he damaged his meniscus just after the new year. He remained at Schalke but managerial changes and injury recovery go together poorly and he barely played for the side again.
He eventually was brought back to Chelsea only to go on loan again to Reims. He found his feet again there but it was strangely followed up with a loan to newly promoted La Liga side Mallorca. That would have been fine had he not gotten injured there almost immediately. He has spent nearly the entire season on the sideline.
What comes next for Rahman is an excellent question. The talent has always been there but it was never polished. The injuries have only ensured that he remains that way at 25.
If Chelsea decides to move Emerson and Marcos Alonso along for a new leftback, Rahman could do a job as a backup. But his injury history will give the Blues pause and even the largely untested Ian Maatsen may be a safer option at this point.
4. Charly Musonda
Musonda has not been perfect. His decision making and statements off the field often outran his ability on it. And when given chances to put his money where his mouth is, he stumbled.
But his tears upon scoring his first Chelsea goal were pure. He has never hidden his desire to make it at Chelsea despite his hiccups. And his potential was very much there. That is why it hurts so much that injuries have stalled his career several times now.
It began with Real Betis where he was a key player before Gus Poyet came to the club and decided he wanted nothing to do with the Belgian. Musonda returned to Chelsea where Antonio Conte opted to use him, but Musonda never quite solidified himself in the Italian’s plans. After some back and forth, Musonda moved on to Celtic.
Things did not go well there either. Despite Brendan Rodgers going out of his way to bring the Belgian in, he used him little. The loan, which was supposed to be 18 months, was terminated that summer. Musonda subsequently went to Vitesse where an early season injury has kept him out of contention nearly the entire time.
Musonda is only 23, but the stop start nature of his career and his recent injury will make it difficult for him to find a path at Chelsea. As stated, he was imperfect, but he cares for the club and it is sad to see such a run of bad luck take away his potential.
Which Chelsea players do you believe had injuries derail all their potential? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!