Last chance for Chelsea’s loan army coming at a good time

Chelsea’s loan army is a bit infamous. The Blues basically stockpiled any promising or potentially promising players for years, loaned them out, collected loan fees, and eventually sold them. It was not until more recently that the purpose of it shifted towards giving academy products valuable development minutes. The loan army has been trimmed down too, but the stigma of “Chelsea’s loan army” remains.

The Blues are hardly the only offenders however. Manchester City has a similar practice. Most Serie A clubs have loans in the double digits and some well over 40. Hoping to combat this, FIFA has been looking to enact rules to minimize these practices for a few years now. Delayed due to Covid, these rules are expected to go into effect. They’ll limit the amount of international loans for players over 22 first before shifting towards domestic loans. This limit will be eight for the first season, and six the second. So, the changes will be gradual and limited, but this will still be the last offseason unaffected.

The new loan rules are coming at a good time for Chelsea. For the most part, the Blues will be safe but this is also a good summer to give a shot to some. With the transfer environment still being as unstable as it is and these rules coming, there might not be a better time to give a lot of loaned out players a chance to stay.

Chelsea’s been looking to go big in the transfer window since the ban ended. Last summer, they had an advantage as being one of the only clubs able to spend. This summer, they have much more competition on that front and clubs still aren’t too keen to sell players without knowing if they can buy someone themselves. This raises the value of targets even further than normal which puts the transfer window in a holding pattern unless a club is willing to spend big.

The Blues have already missed out on Achraf Hakimi and Erling Haaland still remains a pipe dream. It’s far from ideal to go into next season without fresh blood, especially when the time is right to strike while the iron is hot from the Champions League win. At the same time, however, no one wants the club to sign players just to say they did. The summer of 2017 was full of “good enough” signings that didn’t really move the needle and have really just become burdens on the club.

But if Chelsea can’t sign sure fire super stars and warm body options aren’t ideal, that still leaves one option: the loan army. In many ways, a boost by the loan army in the form of Mason Mount, Reece James, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham, and Kurt Zouma got Chelsea through the transfer ban. The Blues aren’t in a transfer ban now, but if the superstar signings aren’t available to breathe new life into the team, the club has plenty returning from loan that could play a part.

There are younger options that could certainly return a do a job. Trevoh Chalobah and Ethan Ampadu are both equally capable of playing in defense and in midfield. Conor Gallagher seems very likely to stay. Armando Broja could provide striker coverage while Ian Maatsen could cover for any left wingback departures. Marc Guehi, Malang Sarr, or Jake Clarke-Salter could be solid centerbacks if given the time.

That’s just the players on the younger side of things. There is always the chance of a Victor Moses like redemption arc for the likes of Davide Zappacosta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Ross Barkley, Kenedy, and Michy Batshuayi. Shades of 2017? Perhaps but all of these players are nearly guaranteed to be sold before the new rules go in. This could be the last chance to see if they can make it at Chelsea. Plus, don’t forget how many players looked done at the club before Thomas Tuchel revived them. He may be able to do the same once again.

If Chelsea can sign the right players, they should. Emphasis very strongly on the “right players” bit. The Blues shouldn’t make signings just to say they did and to boost numbers. If that is the goal, there are more than enough players on the books already to give a look at. Maybe they don’t reach the heights Reece James or Mason Mount did, but if they can do a job, save Chelsea some cash to make windows like last year more possible, that’s a long term win. And with the new rules coming in, it is very much now or never for some of these players.