Three big questions: Chelsea’s Billy Gilmour and the pipeline

2. How does he fit into such a crowded midfield?

Midfield was crowded when Gilmour broke into the squad. It is even more crowded now. Next season, Gilmour will have to compete for minutes with Mason Mount, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, and N’Golo Kante. If Hakim Ziyech or Ethan Ampadu are seen as midfield options, that will further block things off. And if Kai Havertz ever signs (hopefully by the time this article is published), then Gilmour is looking at nearly a full XI blocking his route to the first team.

Not to mention that he will be returning over a third of the way into the season. Every other player will be established as he starts from square one. It will be a massive uphill battle for Gilmour to find his place before January comes and a loan becomes inevitable.

One thing in Gilmour’s favour is that he has shown flexibility in midfield positions and partners. He is not as locked in to 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 and certain roles within as other players in the squad. Furthermore, the club is still looking to offload players yet and Gilmour is surely only going to be looking at a loan in January if at all. That guarantees him at least a squad spot as Frank Lampard figures out who works where and who he can work with at all.

Much will be determined by how quickly and effectively Gilmour returns to fitness. If he picks up where he left off, he will cause more issues for others than himself. If he doesn’t, a loan would not be the worst thing in the world for him though it would create a battle to find his way back into the squad later on.