Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Malik Mothersille (Part 32)
In Part 31 of this series, I broke down Kenedy’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 loan army forwards with Malik Mothersille. Not only is Mothersille one of the youngest and most recent members of the loan army, he’s also one of the Blues’ newest recruits. For that reason, one could be forgiven for not knowing much about the young attacker. Although his professional career hasn’t gotten off the ground yet, there’s still a lot to learn about the teenager. Let’s dig in.
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- 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 Malik Mothersille’s Chelsea career look like?
As mentioned previously, Mothersille is one of the most recent recruits to join the Chelsea ranks. Mothersille became one of the country’s hottest young prospects due to his success with the Leyton Orient youth sides. His performances with the O’s’ academy teams earned him trials with a handful of England’s biggest clubs. In the end though, he opted for a move across London and settled on the Blues.
Mothersille joined Chelsea via an announcement in the winter of 2020, shortly before football shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the move was made official in July, when his scholarship deal officially began. Despite having a plethora of talent up top, the Blues opted to make Mothersille part of their newest academy scholar class for the upcoming season due to his undeniable talent. Chelsea already employs a host of young starlets in the attacking phases—like Jude Soonsup-Bell and Bryan Fiabema—which would make playing time difficult. Therefore, the Blues opted to loan Mothersille out to another U18 side for the current campaign. Loan moves at the academy level are rare, but when one takes into account the abundance of talent around Cobham, it’s hardly surprising.
Derby County’s U18 side announced the season-long signing of Mothersille late last year. He’s played in 10 games for the Rams, getting time at numerous positions. Mothersille has enjoyed his most success on the left wing, where he’s scored three times. He’s also played in the midfield, racking up two assists on the season. Mothersille may not be playing in the Blues’ desired position for him, but the most important thing is the fact he’s getting minutes—697 of them, in fact.
This begs the question: what does Chelsea do with Mothersille this summer?
Verdict: Keep or loan
What the Blues do with Mothersille next season depends on their plan for developing him. Soonsup-Bell and Fiabema are nearing their senior call ups, whether it be for the Blues or another team temporarily, so one has to imagine there are minutes to be had in the developmental side for Mothersille. Further, his versatility (he’s capable of playing anywhere across the front line or even in midfield) will help him break into the teams. If he can become a regular in Chelsea’s youth squads, sign him up to stay. If not, another loan is a must. The Surrey native is now 18, so his development needs to be the club’s main priority at the moment. Any lengthy stints out of the starting XI—regardless of where he plays—could be detrimental to his evolution.
Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Kenedy (Part 31). dark. Next
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 33’s subject is forward Ike Ugbo.