Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Jon Russell (Part 25)

In Part 24 of this series, I broke down Danilo Pantic’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 Jon Russell. Russell is the second of three Blues who are currently on loan at Accrington Stanley and one of the youngest names on this list. A first time loanee, Russell is one of the few loan army soldiers born in 2000 or after. What’s he done up to this point in his career though?

More from Chelsea FC Loan Watch

• Chelsea: The €30m January signing who will highly excel with Pochettino’s appointment
• Chelsea loan Army: How Ian Maatsen has got on at Burnley
• What’s next for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher as asking price revealed?
• The next man up for Chelsea: Left back Ian Maatsen
• The next man up for Chelsea: Center forward Mason Burstow

What does Jon Russell’s Chelsea career look like?

Russell—similar to many other young stars in the loan army—is a one-club man thus far. He joined Chelsea’s academy at the U7 level back in 2007. Russell took his time making his way through the academy, finally making it into the professional level in 2017. He signed his first professional contract the same year he broke through into the youth sides.

The Englishman is often thought of as a box-to-box midfielder who can also occupy the space higher up the pitch as a No. 10. Russell’s stature and vision have made him an important piece in some of the Blues’ youth sides in recent years.

Russell had nine outings for the U18 team during his maiden season with the youth squads. He’s since gone on to feature frequently for both the aforementioned and the developmental side. Russell has played in over 50 matches at the U18 level or higher, but has yet to feature for the Blues’ first team. He was sent on his first loan during the current campaign for this exact reason.

Accrington Stanley took on Russell in addition to two other Chelsea players, Tariq Uwakwe and Nathan Baxter (until injury). He’s appeared in 23 games for the ‘Owd Reds, tallying over 1,000 minutes across two competitions. Russell’s added little to nothing in front of goal though, only scoring twice. This has led to his banishing to the bench. Russell has only started 10 of the 23 games he’s come on, being included in the starting XI the same number of times in the 41 he’s been in the matchday squad.

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

Verdict: “Sell”

Much like Pantic in the last installment of this series, Russell’s contract is up at the end of June. It may sound harsh to say the Blues should let a 20-year-old walk, but it’s strictly business. The chances of Russell having an impact on the first team within the near future are slim to none. There are few reasons for Chelsea to keep Russell around much longer. The new loan regulations mean the Blues will have to make some tough decisions and this is one of them. Russell’s enjoyed a decent first season of senior football in League One, but at his age, he should be starting regularly. That’s not the case right now; thus, it’s time to set the midfielder free.

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 26’s subject is midfielder Marco van Ginkel.