Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Jamal Blackman (Part 1)

Although there is no better individual to kick off a series about the Chelsea loan army, I promise Jamal Blackman being the first player evaluated is purely coincidental. For those who haven’t read the introductory piece on this series, a different player will be the subject of a new piece every day. I am beginning with goalkeepers and working my way up the pitch, with each position group being sorted in order by the way in which they appear on the club’s website.

To put it simply, Blackman is the epitome of an individual in the Chelsea loan army. He’s a player that Blues fans know well and for good reason, despite never making a senior appearance. Blackman came up through Chelsea’s academy after joining the Blues’ U13 squad in 2006. He worked his way up and began training with the first team six years later. Blackman trained regularly with the senior squad from 2012 to 2014—when he signed a new contract—and made the bench on numerous occasions. Despite this, he never played in a match.

What does Jamal Blackman’s Chelsea career look like?

Blackman joined the famous loan army for the first time in 2014 when he joined Middlesbrough. He spent about six months with the Championship side before being recalled to serve as the Blues’ third keeper in 2015 behind Petr Cech and Thibaut Courtois. He made one appearance for the Boro, but it proved to be a memorable one. Not only was it his full professional debut, it was also a League Cup match against Liverpool that ended 2-2 (14-13 in favor of the Reds on penalties).

He remained at Chelsea until 2016 when he was sent to Ostersund in Sweden. It was later that year Blackman found himself in his most successful loan stint to date with Wycombe Wanderers, a then-League Two side. He made a total of 52 appearances for the Chairboys, keeping 17 clean sheets. Blackman also won Wycombe Wanderers’ Young Player of the Year Award. From there, he worked his way up the English league ladder back to the Championship where he appeared in matches for Sheffield United and Leeds United.

Blackman was injured early in his stint at Elland Road, suffering a broken tibia. He returned to Cobham to recover. In 2019, he spent a brief period of time at Vitesse before being recalled and sent to League One’s Bristol Rovers for the 2019/20 season. Blackman is now back in the Championship with Rotherham United in the present.

Blackman has appeared in 23 of Rotherham United’s contests this season, where he has kept four clean sheets. The 27-year-old’s loan runs through the end of next month, but he is set to play some important matches before that. The Millers currently sit in the relegation zone of the Championship. They have three or four games in hand on the four teams above them and sit just three points from safety. Although Rotherham has a poor goal difference (-9), it is still significantly better than relegation rival Birmingham (-22) and Blackman has helped play a huge role in that.

This begs the question: what does Chelsea do with Blackman at the end of his current loan?

Verdict: Sell

It’s important to note that first and foremost, Blackman is a trooper. He’s gone through a lot and it would’ve been easy for him to walk away from the Blues years ago—as many before him have. Blackman has been sent out on loan eight times and despite being employed by Chelsea for 15 years, he hasn’t played for the senior team once. He has earned the respect of every Blues fan out there for those reasons. All of that being said, it’s time for the two sides to part ways.

Blackman’s current contract is up at the end of this season. Unless Chelsea plans on bringing him back as the club’s third keeper for next season, there is no reason to extend his deal. Even then, that would essentially acknowledge Blackman has no career ahead of him, which isn’t the case. Mutually agreeing to let the goalkeeper walk go elsewhere is the best path forward. The Blues should help the 27-year-old find a place to settle down and spend the next few seasons of his career, they owe him that much. It will be sad to see Blackman depart, but hopefully it’s best for all involved parties.

Remember to check back with The Pride of London each and every day as I dive into the largely uncharted world of Chelsea’s famous loan army. Part two’s subject is goalkeeper Nathan Baxter.