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Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Luke McCormick (Part 23)

By Gabe Henderson

BRISTOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 09: Luke McCormick of Bristol Rovers celebrates setting up Zain Westbrooke of Bristol Rovers (not pictured) to score their side's fourth goal during the Sky Bet League One match between Bristol Rovers and Accrington Stanley at Memorial Stadium on March 09, 2021 in Bristol, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
BRISTOL, ENGLAND - MARCH 09: Luke McCormick of Bristol Rovers celebrates setting up Zain Westbrooke of Bristol Rovers (not pictured) to score their side's fourth goal during the Sky Bet League One match between Bristol Rovers and Accrington Stanley at Memorial Stadium on March 09, 2021 in Bristol, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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In Part 22 of this series, I broke down Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s career at Chelsea and discussed what his future in football looks like. For those who haven’t read the introductory piece to this series, a different player will be the subject of a new article every day. I began with goalkeepers and am currently in the process of 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.

As I move on with the loan army series, I continue the deep dive into the midfield loanees with Luke McCormick. Those of us who go to extreme lengths to catch even the most insignificant preseason games are rewarded with knowing McCormick for that exact reason. Otherwise, he’s a relatively unknown name amongst a host of talented Blues midfielders out on loan. Regardless, the youngster has a bright future ahead of him.

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What does Luke McCormick’s Chelsea career look like?

The subject of the last installment to this series, Loftus-Cheek, will be remembered for kicking off the golden era of Chelsea academy graduates. However, it is today’s focal point that played alongside many of them. McCormick began training with the Blues at the age of six years old. The Bury native officially signed with the club as a U9 player.

McCormick is one of the few players in the Blues’ loan army to have played all across the pitch. He played as a No. 9 in his early academy years, also getting some time at winger, right back and midfielder. It was at the latter of the positions that he eventually settled in as a youth team regular in 2015/16. McCormick went on to debut for the U21s at the end of the same season at the age of 17.

He helped the U18s to a treble and made 30 total appearances for Chelsea’s academy sides the following year. He scored seven goals—including a hat-trick in a 13-0 win over Brighton—over the course of the season in the U18 Premier League. Over the next two seasons, he’d go on to score 15 goals and add seven assists, including some massive scores in the UEFA Youth League.

McCormick made his first loan move in the first half of the 2019/20 campaign after signing a new three-year deal with the Blues. He joined Shrewsbury Town the same day thanks to a recommendation from Joe Cole. McCormick played just eight times from the time he joined until January for the Shrews, which led to him being recalled by his parent club. Instead of seeking another loan for the midfielder, the Blues kept him around to help secure a Premier League 2 title with the developmental side.

He’s gotten a second crack at League One this season and has not disappointed.

Ahead of the 2020/21 season, McCormick joined Bristol Rovers after coming on for Frank Lampard’s team in the preseason friendly against Brighton. The Pirates have had a tough go of things this season with demotion to League Two likely. Nevertheless, McCormick has continued to impress throughout the campaign. He’s scored the league’s January Goal of the Month and earned a 10/10 rating from the Bristol Post for his Man of the Match performance versus Doncaster Rovers. In 41 games across all competitions, McCormick has scored four and assisted twice.

This begs the question: what does Chelsea do with McCormick this summer?

Verdict: Loan

In a world full of Kylian Mbappe’s and Erling Haaland’s, we’ve been led to believe that if a player doesn’t breakthrough into his club’s first team by 21, he won’t turn into a star. This could not be further from the truth. The odds are certainly stacked against McCormick when it comes to his odds to making Chelsea’s first team because the Blues have a ton of depth in the middle of the park, most of which being young stars. The 22-year-old still has a lot of room (and time) left to develop though. McCormick needs at least another year or two on loan before the club decides his future.

Next. Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Part 22). dark

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 24’s subject is midfielder Danilo Pantic.

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