Chelsea keep, loan or sell? Special final roster cut edition

2. Loan

This is the part of the list where things get interesting. The loan players are the most intriguing as a majority of them could fall under a number of categories—if not all. For example, I feel as if not many Chelsea supporters would object to the club selling Charly Musonda Jr. As harsh as it may be, he hasn’t played football in a long time and he’s closing in on his 25th birthday. However, I don’t think the Blues will be that ruthless with one of their one-time top prospects. Musonda Jr. should get at least one season to build himself back up before being ruled out of future projects.

Ike Ugbo was supposed to feature on the previous slide. Fabrizio Romano has maintained since the beginning of the summer that Ugbo would be sold, but that doesn’t seem to be a certainty any longer. Perhaps the Chelsea hierarchy came to its senses as the young striker began scoring for fun during the preseason. Regardless, another loan move would be beneficial for Ugbo. The same goes for his striking partner from the preseason, Armando Broja. When it looked like the Blues wouldn’t be able to get a deal over the line for a striker, supporters turned to Broja to potentially save their season. However, as the rumor mill begins to spin, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Broja embarks on his second consecutive loan.

Perhaps the unluckiest individuals during the entire summer also make this list. Ethan Ampadu joined up with the team just a number of days ago as he returned from Euro 2020 duty. He didn’t get much of a look in and after two disappointing loan spells, the Blues will probably look for the right fit for his third. It’s a shame because Ampadu fits Tuchel’s system and could be a useful player in the German’s side, he just didn’t get much of a chance to prove himself. Meanwhile, Tino Anjorin had a good shot to remain with the first team. Tuchel admitted he was gutted at the fact that Anjorin contracted COVID-19 during the camp in Ireland. The young attacker was poised to have a breakout preseason and potentially boost his standing in the team. Quarantine took up most of his time during the busy training period though and the only action he saw was against Tottenham. A loan would likely be best as he could get first team minutes under his belt.

Malang Sarr is also expected to go out on loan again. Unlike one of his colleagues to be mentioned later, Sarr didn’t exactly seize the moment and impress Chelsea’s new gaffer during the few games the team played in recent weeks. Sarr saved the worst for last as his mistake directly led to Spurs’ equalizer on Wednesday. There’s still a ton of potential there, he just needs continue to grow as a player before making the leap into the Champions of Europe’s senior team.

The last case in this category is the most puzzling. Dujon Sterling‘s fate largely lies with the moves made around him. Sterling was immense during the preseason whenever he got into the pitch and he turned heads behind the scenes, as well. He is a potential option to back up Reece James at right wingback after the Blues missed out on Achraf Hakimi. Sterling’s stay is thought to be predicated on the Kounde transfer though. Kounde’s arrival would see Cesar Azpilicueta’s responsibilities in the back three dwindle and the captain could then split time between the two defensive positions on the right side. If Chelsea doesn’t sign a right-sided centerback or wingback, Sterling will probably stick around, at least for the first half of the season.