Chelsea loans out a plethora of players before the transfer window shuts

The summer has now reached the point where Chelsea has put incoming transfers on the back burner. The Blues broke their previous club record transfer fee earlier this month when they brought Romelu Lukaku back to SW6 for his highly anticipated return. He and Marcus Bettinelli are the only two signings Marina Granovskaia and Co. have managed thus far this summer. Their attention now turns to thinning out the unnaturally large squad currently under Thomas Tuchel’s direction.

Tuchel was quoted as saying he enjoys managing a big squad when he took over last season, but his patience was tested as Chelsea took squad boundaries to a whole new limit in the last few weeks. The Blues had 42 players training at Cobham at one point, which is almost unimaginable for a professional football club’s first team at any stage of the season. Granovskaia and the back room staff have been hard at work over the last few days with Wednesday’s three loans resulting in one of the most productive periods this summer.

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Chelsea is preparing for the upcoming transfer deadline by loaning out a plethora of players, including a talented trio on Wednesday

Wednesday began with a legendary (for one reason or another) transfer announcement from Turkish champions Besiktas as it channeled its inner DC Comics. Besiktas made its season-long loan for Michy Batshuayi official when he stepped onto the Vodafone Park pitch wearing a makeshift Batman suit. Batshuayi’s announcement was followed by Kenedy’s loan to Flamengo becoming official and confirmed reports that Emerson is on his way to Lyon for the upcoming season. All three will also receive one-year contract extensions.

There is a key word being used throughout that is understandably scary to Chelsea fans: loan. Perhaps even more upsetting to supporters is the fact that all three will receive extended contracts, despite being fringe players at best for the last three seasons. However, they are justified. Granovskaia has built a Champions League winning side and headed one of the most well-run football clubs in the world for quite awhile. While extending “deadweight” players may not be the most popular choice, it is the right one in the end.

Olivier Giroud’s one-year extension earlier in the summer is the perfect example of how short-term deals benefit selling clubs. Batshuayi, Emerson and Kenedy are all bound to leave Chelsea next season, but the difference will be a few million pounds as opposed to a free transfer. These millions add up rather quickly, especially when one steps back to look at the loan army as a whole. Many clubs across the world have taken a huge financial hit due to the impact of COVID-19. In a year’s time, things will hopefully be back to normal and revenue will begin to flow back into the footballing world. Only then will the Blues come close to getting their asking price for these outgoing transfers.

Despite being incredibly busy throughout the week with the aforementioned loans and the sale of Tammy Abraham, Chelsea is nowhere near done. Matt Miazga is expected to join Alaves on loan for the upcoming season in the near future. Ike Ugbo will depart the club permanently in the coming days, although Genk and Marseille are locked in a battle for the young striker’s services. AC Milan is in talks to bring back Tiemoue Bakayoko and Davide Zappacosta also has a number of suitors in Italy. This is still just the tip of the iceberg as well, with players like Ross Barkley, Danny Drinkwater, Baba Rahman and Malang Sarr still to come.

What is the most surprising move you’ve seen Chelsea make so far this window? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!