Three big questions: Chelsea’s loan army marches on

3. Who is simply kicking about waiting for a transfer?

Despite Chelsea’s trimming down of the loan army in recent seasons, it is still full of plenty of players that are simply kicking about waiting for a permanent destination. Even with the loan army restrictions coming in at some point in the near future, the Blues still have plenty on their books that simply should not be for one reason or another.

Lucas Piazon’s time at Chelsea has come and gone. He has had a few chances but the vast majority of his contract has been spent out on loan. He is currently back at Portuguese club Rio Ave for a second season, which is the longest he has been in one place since Fulham.

There are a few other players that are heading towards a similar situation too. Danilo Pantic, Izzy Brown, Jamal Blackman, Kenedy, and Lewis Baker are all entering or are rumored to be entering another loan in a long series. Chelsea obviously doesn’t have plans for them anymore and they need to just find a buyer.

Transfers failing and the club getting caught holding the bag is a loan army issue too. Matt Miazga, Davide Zappacosta, Danny Drinkwater, and Tiemoue Bakayoko standout. The latter two cost Chelsea big bucks to bring in before ultimately flopping. Drinkwater seems content with going out on loan and getting into fights. Bakayoko at least has had good spells ahead of a potential loan move to AC Milan. Zappacosta, meanwhile, spent most of last season injured so the club appears to be doing him a favor and ensuring he has a contract as he looks for a new club.

Michy Batshuayi will surely add himself to this list before too long. His Chelsea career has gone better out on loan than it has in Blue. The club is struggling to find a buyer this summer, so a loan can at least be used to get him out of the way and find a market for him.

What questions do you have about the loan army ahead of next season? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!