In a development that very few Chelsea fans saw coming, Billy Gilmour is the talk of the footballing world. The Scottish starlet was extremely impressive during his nation’s 0-0 draw with England, earning Star of the Match honors and drawing praise from the pundits for his maturity and confidence on the ball. Now, though, Gilmour has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Scotland’s final group stage match against Croatia on Tuesday, undoubtedly a massive blow to the team.
Friday’s game against the English was not the 20-year-old’s first time standing out on a pitch that featured some of the biggest names on the continent. Gilmour has now been named Man of the Match for his FA Cup debut, Premier League debut and international debut, which are truly incredible feats for such a young player. There is no more room for doubt in terms of his talent, but consistent playing time has been hard to come by since Gilmour arrived from the Rangers academy in 2017. For this reason, he needs to be sent out on loan next season.
Most supporters will think that I am crazy for even suggesting this, as Gilmour has already proven he is capable of playing elite-level European football. His performance against England demonstrated this, as Scotland’s No. 23 bossed a midfield that featured EPL stalwarts such as Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips and Mason Mount. He had 29 successful carries and completed 87 percent of his passes, which was ultimately crucial in limiting the number of English attacking opportunities, despite the Three Lions keeping about 60 percent possession for the match.
Now, Gilmour simply needs more experience. He played only 698 minutes of first team football last season, including a mere eight starts. Of course, one could hardly blame Thomas Tuchel for not fully trusting a teenager in what was an incredibly tumultuous and stressful season for the Blues, but things need to change heading into 2021/22. If Gilmour is not going to play a serious role during this upcoming season, he should go to a smaller (but still competent) Premier League team in which he can become accustomed to the grind of a full professional campaign.
It needs to be said that sending Gilmour on loan is not a knock on his abilities as a footballer, there is simply no room for him in Chelsea’s insanely talented squad. The midfield is especially loaded with skilled veterans, namely Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic, all of whom are deservedly ahead of Gilmour on the depth chart at this point in their respective careers. His ceiling—if recent performances are anything to go by—is immeasurably high, so a productive loan spell next year would all but guarantee his place as a contributing member of the team in 2022/23.
One Chelsea player who greatly benefited from a year away from Stamford Bridge was Ruben Loftus-Cheek in 2017/18. RLC looked destined to be yet another young talent who would never reach his full potential with the Blues, but his season at Selhurst Park—in which he scored two goals and added three assists—reinvigorated his career and even earned him a spot on England’s squad for the World Cup in Russia. A torn achilles has since caused a minor setback, but Loftus-Cheek’s development was definitely expedited with Crystal Palace.
Ultimately, I just want to see Gilmour in action. If Tuchel will commit to giving the young Scotsman serious minutes with Chelsea’s first team, then all of this is redundant. That, however, seems highly unlikely at this point, so a loan spell is the next best option. Regardless of which club he might end up with, Gilmour would likely be one of the most talented players on the roster, so Blues supporters can expect many more Man of the Match performances from him next season.
What do you think Gilmour should do next season? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!