Where does Chelsea midfielder Tino Anjorin go from here?

3. Loan to Vitesse

Believe it or not, the 2021-22 season is the first campaign in over a decade where a Chelsea player was not loaned out to Vitesse. The Dutch club has often been referred to as a “feeder” club for the Blues. The two clubs share a symbiotic relationship wherein Chelsea sends some of its best youngsters to Vitesse, intending to develop them and integrate them into the first team or sell them for a profit. Meanwhile, the Dutch club gets players with great potential and hunger without spending much of their own money.

Over 29 different players have been on loan at Vitesse while being under contract at Chelsea. Some of these players—like Christian Atsu, Charly Musonda, Lucas Piazon, Patrick Van Aanholt and Marco Van Ginkel—never made it to the first team at Chelsea. They gained valuable experience and were later sold for a profit. On the other side of things, there are a few success stories. There is, of course, Mason Mount, who is a first team regular and has assisted in the Champions League final. There is also Broja, who is enjoying a fine loan spell at Southampton.

Something very interesting is happening at Vitesse this season, which is going under the radar because of its UEFA Conference League status. Manager Thomas Letsch has implemented a tactical system that makes use of a Libero, a role that has seemed to disappear from modern-day football. Riechedly Bazoer, a once highly-rated midfielder hailing from the Netherlands, has resurrected his career by playing the role for Vitesse in a 3-4-3 system.

The Libero role is very similar to that of Thiago Silva at Chelsea, but with a lot more duties in playmaking and retaining possession. On paper, a lot of similarities can be drawn between Bazoer and Anjorin. Both have a strong, athletic build, both are agile and they are both silky smooth on the ball. While the defense is not where Anjorin has played a lot of his football, he just might play well as a Libero. Bazoer is out injured until the end of February at least. While directly putting Anjorin in Vitesse’s squad to fill in for Bazoer might not be a wise move, slowly integrating him into its starting XI and giving him time might prove to be fruitful. Anjorin is still very early in his career and it might be easier to change positions now.

Tuchel has shown his trust in back three formations and with Andreas Christensen looking almost certain to leave, Anjorin might just be the solution Chelsea is looking for in the long run. Even if things do not work out for him in defense, Vitesse could still use his help in the attack. In fact, before his move to Lokomotiv Moscow, Vitesse was reportedly looking to sign him along with Ethan Ampadu and Lewis Baker on a loan deal.

What do you think is the best move for Anjorin? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!