Every summer a bunch of youngsters leave Cobham in hopes of getting more minutes at the professional level and impressing the decision-makers at Chelsea. This season, one of those players was the Blues’ wonderkid, Tino Anjorin. Many Chelsea fans may be familiar with Anjorin due to his sporadic appearances in the teamsheet over the last 18 months. He has been quite popular among the fanbase, which has been rooting for him ever since his teenage years. Anjorin’s height, strong build and ability on the ball even attracted comparisons with fan-favorite Ruben Loftus-Cheek. What excited the supporters even more was when Thomas Tuchel was pictured talking to Anjorin individually in his first training session at the club.
Subsequently, many fans were surprised to see an option to buy clause included in his summer loan deal to Lokomotiv Moscow. Fast forward five months and his loan deal has been cut short after he picked up an injury. The Russian club’s director, Ralf Rangnick, who pushed for his signing at Lokomotiv Moscow has joined Manchester United. A few clubs from the top flight—including Southampton—have inquired about him, but his future at the moment still looks very uncertain.
Logically speaking, three options should be explored to get his professional career back on track:
1. Sell with a buy-back clause
According to many reports, Southampton was looking to sign Anjorin on a permanent deal alongside Armando Broja in the winter transfer window. While a deal for Broja is avoidable considering he has scored more goals than many of Chelsea’s current strikers, the Blues should be open to selling Anjorin at the right price, but with a buy-back clause. Tino Livramento departed Chelsea to join Southampton in the summer with a buy-back clause included in his deal and that seems to be the new normal given FIFA’s updated loan regulations.
Any deal for Anjorin should be constructed similarly to the one for Livramento. While the new rules limiting the number of loan deals to six in and six out kick in from 2024, and Anjorin would not be counted in that number considering he is a homegrown talent, Chelsea is continuing to cut down the number in the infamous “loan army”. Marina Granovskaia has sold Tammy Abraham and Livramento recently buy-back clauses and she should consider offloading Anjorin with one too.
2. Loan to a Championship club
Perhaps the more realistic and helpful move for young Anjorin would be a loan move to a Championship club. According to reports, half a dozen clubs are willing to sign Anjorin on loan deals for the remainder of the season. Huddersfield Town seems to be the most interested party and should be a good experience for Anjorin. Anjorin’s fellow academy graduate, Levi Colwill, seems to be enjoying his time at Huddersfield this season, as well. The defender has started 20 games for the Terriers, registering a goal and an assist in that time.
Huddersfield itself isn’t doing a bad job either. The Terriers are fighting for a playoff place and they are in a pretty strong position to even secure a Premier League promotion. It would be their first since they got relegated following the 2018/19 Premier League season. A move to Huddersfield would not only give Anjorin exposure to senior-level football in England, but also put him under pressure to play in a more competitive environment as Huddersfield makes a push for promotion.
Huddersfield is the most likely destination but any Championship club not fighting relegation should be good enough for Anjorin to gain experience. The likes of Colwill, Conor Gallagher, Reece James, Fikayo Tomori and others have all started their senior playing careers in the Championship. They’ve managed to blossom into wonderful footballers at some of the best clubs in England and Europe over the last few years because of that experience.
The Championship is a breeding ground for talented graduates from Premier League academies looking to prove themselves and earn valuable minutes of senior-level football. If Anjorin does manage to secure a loan move to a Championship club before the deadline, he will get six months of football in his home country, which could be beneficial for him. Tuchel and the decision-makers at Chelsea can evaluate his performances in these six months and decide his future at the club.
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!