There are few teams in the world who can rival Chelsea when it comes to developing youngsters to sell on for a profit, but it might be time to start looking to get a few into the first team.
Frank Lampard has shown a willingness to give youngsters a chance this year with players like Billy Gilmour, Tammy Abraham, Reece James and Fikayo Tomori all getting a chance to impress.
The BBC have also reported that FIFA are introducing new rules to clamp down on the number of loans that a club can make from next season, which could eventually see teams restricted to only being able to loan out six players at a time.
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A look at Chelsea’s website shows they have at least 27 players out on loan just now, so clearly they will need to be sold or force their way into the team, so here’s a look at five current loanees who could get a chance next season:
Mario Pasalic – Midfielder
At the age of 25 he can’t be considered as a youngster anymore, so it seems like this is the time for him to either break through or move on. Frank Lampard openly talked about his players not being good enough against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but Pasalic has been a key member of the Atalanta team who have lit up the competition this year. He’s capable of scoring some fine goals and looks like a great all-round midfielder, so he could be a handy option for next term.
Kenedy – Forward
It’s common to see may of Chelsea’s loanees spending multiple terms away from the club, and Kenedy falls into that category. He’s had two impressive spells with Newcastle and also looks handy for a Getafe team who are going well in La Liga. His future could depend on Willian, but if he was to leave then Kenedy would provide a ready made replacement who can play on either wing while also scoring some spectacular goals.
Conor Gallagher – Midfielder
It’s hard to tell what to make of Chelsea’s decision to pull Gallagher from his loan spell at Charlton and send him to Swansea instead, it could just be that he needed a change of scenery, but it might also suggest they wanted to see him in a different system before giving him a chance next season. He’s been impressive in the Championship this season and would follow in the footsteps of a few youngsters next season if he could break into the team after an impressive season at the lower level.
Ethan Ampadu Defender/Midfielder
It feels like he’s been around for a long time, but the Welshman is only 19. His loan spell at RB Leipzig has clearly not worked out after struggling to get any meaningful game time, so it could be interesting to see what Chelsea want to do with him. He’s impressed in his appearances for Chelsea before and his versatility could be useful, but there’s a big decision to be made for his long term development. If Frank Lampard sees him as a regular option then it makes sense to keep him, but sitting in the stands for another year could really stunt him in the long term.
Trevor Chalobah – defender
While Trevor may need to take a similar route to his brother Nathaniel and leave to establish himself somewhere else, he’s shown enough in loan spells with Ipswich and Huddersfield to suggest he could make the step up to the play in the Premier League. Defence has been a weak spot for Chelsea this year so they might be tempted to make a big signing, but Chalobah would provide some depth to the squad.
Of course a lot of this will come down to Chelsea’s approach in the transfer market. They were forced to play some young players this year due to the transfer ban but it’s also paid off for them, so it would be bold to move away from that and go back to throwing money around again.
Clearly some of their loanees will have to leave permanently, but these five are all good enough to make an impact if they get a chance.