Chelsea has built a reputation in world football over the last decade or so for its unique loan perspective. The Blues use the game’s loan system as a method of development for academy players or young purchases. This has seen the Chelsea academy turn into one of the world’s finest developers of talent. Players like Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Callum Hudson-Odoi are all recent examples of those who came up through the academy, with many more making their way to the forefront of European football in the near future. The plethora of players employed by the Blues and temporarily sent out have earned this list the title of loan army.
Over the last 30+ days, I have analyzed the past, present and future of every member of the Blues’ current loan army. This was not only a series to help Chelsea fans learn more about the players that are often not discussed, but also to help decide what their future holds. The list of 33 will soon be cut down significantly due to FIFA’s new loan regulations. The new rules are set to take effect this summer, capping the number of players aged 22 or older a club can loan out at eight. That number will be further reduced for the 2022/23 season to six.
Therefore, over the last month, I have also categorized each loanee into three groups—keep, loan and sell. Of course, there are a few exceptions in the group and a handful of players who earned multiple designations. This piece will serve as a recap and conclusion to the series as I take a look back at the decisions I’ve made and compile them all into one convenient location. I will take a look at each group and eventually cut the 2021/22 loan army down to meet FIFA’s regulations. Let’s begin with the ‘keep’ category.
1. Keep
10 of the 33 individuals in the loan army made the ‘keep’ list—although nine of those 10 had other options attached to their names. Tiemoue Bakayoko was the only individual I believe the Blues should retain next season without a doubt in my mind. Defensive midfielder is a position of need for Chelsea this summer and Bakayoko has proven himself a capable player in that spot throughout his career. The one thing I discovered when researching more about his career was that it usually takes him a year or two to get acclimated. Further, Thomas Tuchel tried to sign the midfielder while at Paris Saint-Germain, so he seems keen to play him in the middle of the park.
There are also a lot of players on the fringe of the first team and another loan. These individuals include Marc Guehi, Malang Sarr, Ethan Ampadu and Conor Gallagher. It’s more likely than not they all head out on loan again, but it also wouldn’t surprise anyone to see any of these names on the senior roster next season. Gallagher and Ampadu have been bright spots in Premier League relegation sides. Guehi has helped Swansea City get into the promotion playoff for the second consecutive season and Sarr has gotten time under his belt in the Champions League. They’re all destined for great careers with Chelsea, it’s just a matter of when.
The third group of ‘keep’ players are ones who could stay with the team if they accept a role as a back-up. This classification includes players like Michy Batshuayi and Kenedy. Batshuayi’s inclusion would prevent the need for a third No. 9 (assuming Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham are sold). Meanwhile, Kenedy has proven himself as a talented wide man and could back up someone like Timo Werner or Christian Pulisic on the wings.
Of course, there are also a few special classifications. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the only player in the series who could fit into all three categories. He’s not had a very successful stint at Fulham, but he’s worked his way back to full health, which matters most. The next step in his career will depend on what Tuchel sees in the preseason. Fikayo Tomori is someone the Blues would love to keep, but his future is out of their hands as we await AC Milan’s decision regarding his buy clause. Lastly, Malik Mothersille should stay at the club, but continue to develop at the academy level.
Chelsea will surely be busy in the transfer market over the summer, it has no shortage of options in the loan army though. Look for the Blues to give a few returning players their shots over the next few months.
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.
3. Sell
Unfortunately, due to the drastic nature of the new regulations, Chelsea is forced to make sweeping changes to its loan army. This results in the ‘sell’ category being the largest by a wide margin.
It’s never easy to simply say a club should part ways with its players, but there were some simple decisions in this series. Players like Danny Drinkwater, Victor Moses and Davide Zappacosta. know they have no future in west London, albeit for different reasons. It’d be a miracle if Drinkwater ever put on a Chelsea shirt again simply because he’s had a disaster spell since joining the Blues. On the other hand, Moses’ time has come and gone with Chelsea. He’s a figure that’ll be fondly remembered, but his future is elsewhere. The same goes for Zappacosta. The Italian fullback will always be associated with his debut worldie against Qarabag. However, his heart belongs to Italy and that’s where he should stay.
Meanwhile, there are some individuals on the sell list that find their sale is a direct result of FIFA’s new rule. This includes Jamal Blackman, Juan Castillo, Jake Clarke-Salter, Jack Wakely, Lewis Baker, Jon Russell, Tariq Uwakwe and Izzy Brown. Each and every one of these individuals has a definite future in football, they just haven’t developed fast enough to break into the senior squad at Stamford Bridge for one reason or another.
Matt Miazga and Baba Rahman have continued to impress out on loan. The fact remains neither is Chelsea caliber. Therefore, they need to make way for other young starlets to remain in the loan army. Marco van Ginkel and Danilo Pantic have simply had a rough go of things since joining the club. They don’t deserve to be strung along any longer and should be sold so they can kickstart careers elsewhere. Ike Ugbo makes this list solely because the club is preparing to sell him anyways. The most difficult decision—personally and logistically—was including Ross Barkley. I can see Barkley playing under Tuchel, many simply don’t agree and he’s in a bit of a slump to end the season at Villa Park.
The sales of many of these individuals this summer will help the Blues fund some expensive transfers, which has been the case with loan army exports for quite some time.
Which loan player’s decision would you change? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!