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State of the youth revolution: Chelsea’s new look loan army

By Travis Tyler

BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - JULY 29: Mathias Jensen (L) of Brentford challenges Conor Gallagher of Swansea during the Sky Bet Championship Play Off Semi-final 2nd Leg match between Brentford and Swansea City at Griffin Park on July 29, 2020 in Brentford, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - JULY 29: Mathias Jensen (L) of Brentford challenges Conor Gallagher of Swansea during the Sky Bet Championship Play Off Semi-final 2nd Leg match between Brentford and Swansea City at Griffin Park on July 29, 2020 in Brentford, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea’s loan army has been revamped for the youth revolution. How are the youngsters away from the club looking for the future?

It is the nature of the beast, but Chelsea still needs the loan army. This issue comes up with every club that integrates youth; the new crop has to be better than the crop that broke through to break through themselves. Add on all of Chelsea’s big money superstar signings and loans were the only realistic way forward for many.

Mind, they are still part of the youth revolution, they just take on a different aspect of it. They can impress away from the club, unlike Callum Hudson-Odoi or Fikayo Tomori, and maybe that gives them the chance next year that they need. Staying and fighting for a spot can be admirable, but not if that results in no fight at all. Sometimes a player has to go away to make their case. Thus far, several have made strong cases for their inclusion next season.

The ones closest to home, i.e. the Premier League, are naturally getting the most attention. Ethan Ampadu, after a rough loan at RB Leipzig (where he surely learned a lot) and barely playing the season before (in part due to injury, in part due to Maurizio Sarri) is now finding his feet again in the Premier League. It was a curiosity as to where in Sheffield United’s XI he’d play and the answer has been a bit of all of the above. Most interesting to Chelsea is his usage as the holding midfielder, a position Chelsea needs and is now using and one where many think Ampadu could have done a job this season had the loan not came as early as it did.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Conor Gallagher is earning plaudits in a terrible West Brom side. His double loan last year was a sign of things to come and the Premier League has not proven to be too much of a step up for him. The main question is what type of midfielder he really is because it seemingly changes every game. For now, the only clear aspect is that he is all action and if Chelsea sheds some midfielders next year, he has a chance.

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The lower divisions of England also have something to offer Chelsea. In the Championship, Marc Guehi is a wall for Swansea. He is relatively new to the loan army (not even a full season yet) but he is seemingly ready to follow in the footsteps of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, and Reece James as he looks to step up from the Championship into Chelsea’s first team. He might get his chance given how little Fikayo Tomori is playing, Antonio Rudiger is shopped out, and Thiago Silva may or may not leave at the end of the season.

Ian Maatsen is further down in League One, but he was earning rave reviews at youth levels. Given Marcos Alonso and Emerson are sure to depart over the next few months, Maatsen could make the great leap into Premier League football as Ben Chilwell’s deputy. That may not be ideal for his development but he will surely be given a chance to impress next preseason despite being two full divisions down currently.

Abroad, Malang Sarr has not played much for Porto in part due to injury and match fitness from joining late, but two of his three starts have been in the Champions League against Manchester City and Marseille. He is clearly highly regarded in that set up and he has the massive advantage of being a left footed centerback. That may seem a silly reason to include him, but left footed centerbacks are rare and worth their weight in gold if they can perform well. They open up tons of passing angles most teams aren’t prepared for.

Armando Broja is taking the well trodden path at Vitesse to show case his skill. After a few appearances last season, he is now firing away in the Eredivisie. Next season may come too soon for him, but he could easily take up a spot vacated by Olivier Giroud in the coming summer.

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The loan army used to be about stockpiling and selling when the value was high. For some, it still is that but for the majority it is genuinely about development again. These six players are not out on loan to be sold; they are out to gain experience and fight for a spot next preseason. As things stand, they have an excellent chance.

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