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Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Series conclusion

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea embraces Mason Mount of Chelsea following the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 04, 2021 in London, 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 Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Thomas Tuchel, Manager of Chelsea embraces Mason Mount of Chelsea following the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 04, 2021 in London, 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 Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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ARNHEM – (lr) Armando Broja of Vitesse, Sebastian Holmen or Willem II during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Vitesse and Willem II at the Gelredome on March 21, 2021 in Arnhem, The Netherlands. ANP JEROEN PUTMANS (Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images)
ARNHEM – (lr) Armando Broja of Vitesse, Sebastian Holmen or Willem II during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Vitesse and Willem II at the Gelredome on March 21, 2021 in Arnhem, The Netherlands. ANP JEROEN PUTMANS (Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images) /

2. Loan

The loan designation is—naturally—the smallest group in this series. The Blues have to trim the loan numbers down from 33 to give or take eight within the next few months, so there’s bound to be fewer names. I have narrowed it down as best I can, but also left some room for those Chelsea decides not to keep from the previous slide.

The two loanees closest to making the keep list were Armando Broja and Ian Maatsen. Both play positions where the Blues will be thin after this summer. As I touched on in the previous slide, Chelsea is expected to part ways with both Abraham and Giroud up top, so Tuchel will need to bring in some No. 9s. Broja has excelled in the Eredivisie with Vitesse and gotten that much closer to the senior side. Meanwhile, the Blues are looking to cash in on Marcos Alonso and/or Emerson, potentially leaving Ben Chilwell as the lone left back. That’s where Maatsen could slot in, but he still needs time to develop.

Another youngster looking to knock on the door is Trevoh Chalobah. He represents a potential solution to Thiago Silva’s eventual departure, but needs another season or two on loan with European giants before he gets a look. The Blues need to also allow their young goalkeepers, Nathan Baxter and Jamie Cumming, to go back out on loan and develop. Rounding out the loan group is Luke McCormick. McCormick is probably the furthest away from the first team of all the aforementioned players. Still in his early 20s, the midfielder is developing rather quickly, but he’s no Mason Mount. The success of others in his age group has been detrimental to his reputation, but McCormick still has a lot of talent.

It’s a shame the Blues will have to trim down their loan army, but they still have an abundance of talent left to send out temporarily.

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