Worth A Shot? – Three On-Loan Chelsea Players Who Deserve A Chance In The Blues First-team Next Season
In recent years, Chelsea have built up a reputation of signing young and talented players before loaning them out and many of them are then sold to other clubs for a profit, without being given a proper chance to prove themselves in the Blues’ first-team.
In the ongoing campaign, the West Londoners have as many as 38 players out on loan. That number is more than what many teams would have in their squads. Having now reached the business end of the season, here we look at three on-loan Chelsea players who deserve to be given a proper shot in the first-team next season.
Michy Batshuayi (Borussia Dortmund)
This one’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? Ever since Batshuayi was shipped out on loan to Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window, the Belgian striker has been scoring goals for fun, while at the same time, Chelsea’s centre-forward duo of Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud have been struggling for goals.
Since his move to Germany, the 24-year old has scored 9 goals and assisted one in 11 games in the Bundesliga and UEFA Europa League combined, saving Dortmund from the jaws of defeat on a number of occasions. Surely, Chelsea should give him an opportunity to make an impact for their first-team next season.
Kurt Zouma (Stoke City)
Not many people expected Chelsea to loan out defender Kurt Zouma and as a result, it came as a surprise when they decided to send the Frenchman away on a year-long temporary spell to Stoke City. However, the move to the Bet365 Stadium has done Zouma a world of good.
The 23-year-old has been a permanent fixture in the backline for the Potters this term and has made as many as 31 appearances in all competitions, scoring once as well. Stoke might be staring at relegation but Zouma has been one of the bright spots for the season. Hence, it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see him line up alongside the likes of Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta in the Chelsea back line next term, given Gary Cahill’s decline and doubts over David Luiz’s future.
Marco van Ginkel (PSV Eindhoven)
After close to five years of being a Chelsea player, surely the time is ripe for midfielder Marco van Ginkel to get a regular run in the first-team next season.
Signed in 2013, the Dutchman wasn’t off to the best of starts at the Stamford Bridge due to which he has been loaned out repeatedly, first to AC Milan, then to Stoke City. Since January 2016, the 25-year-old has been with PSV Eindhoven, where he has found his footing and has established himself as a key player for the Dutch heavyweights.
Van Ginkel has been appointed the captain of PSV this season and has scored 14 times and assisted 4 in 29 appearances this term. With the signing of Tiemoue Bakayoko proving to be quite a disastrous one and Cesc Fabregas not getting any younger, Van Ginkel could prove to be the answer for Chelsea’s midfield problems and deserves a shot in the first-team next season.