Antonio Conte’s Chelsea managed to put up yet another winning performance this weekend as a solitary goal from star striker Diego Costa was enough for them to take all three points from their trip to the Selhurst Park. The Blues scored from their first shot on target in the game and are 9 points clear at the top of the table with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City lurking close by.
The manager will be happy with his team’s performances recently and will hope that they can keep up the good work but he will surely look to add a few players to the squad in January, which might see a couple of players leave the club. One such player who is now linked with a loan deal away from Chelsea to West Ham United in January is young midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The 20-year old central midfielder joined the club at the age of 8 and rose through the ranks to make his senior debut under Guus Hiddink in the previous season at the Bridge. He has a goal in 17 appearances for the Blues and is yet to play at a club other than Chelsea. However, in his time at the club, he has grown into a potential world class player, earning a place in the U16, U17, U19 and the U21 national sides in England, earning himself a reputation at an early age.
However, with Chelsea absent in Europe, Loftus-Cheek has found any kind of game time hard to come by this season and has got just 2 League Cup appearances and one League appearance under his belt so far.
At his age, he will need some exposure and regular playing time but Conte has been able to settle into a starting XI that has won him games this season and it hard to see him change the combination even in easy games. Chelsea are genuine title contenders and the 20-year old may not yet be ready to help the side to glory.
Loftus-Cheek is an excellent midfielder with a decent eye for goal. His finishing is superb for a midfielder while his dribbling abilities make him a handful even for the best defenders in the league. His vision and passing ability are his strengths as he loves to sit in front of the opposition defence and pick his teammates up in dangerous areas. He is a genuine central midfielder who also loves to put in tackles and win the ball back and is a player most Premier League clubs would want in their armoury.
He is not yet first-team material in the league but West Ham United, who have struggled off late to find any consistency, will have a genuine match winner in their squad if they move for the 20-year old. The likes of Mark Noble and Pedro Obiang have been poor at times this season and though Slaven Bilic, the manager, might not hand Loftus-Cheek a place in the starting XI, he will surely give him a go when needed which will give the midfielder plenty of chances to prove himself.
Chelsea are active in the FA Cup that starts after the turn of the year and Loftus-Cheek might get his chances then, but they will be few and far between and he is well advised to shift to the Olympic Stadium in January. Do you think a loan deal at West Ham for the rest of the season is a good option for
Do you think a loan deal at West Ham for the rest of the season is a good option for Loftus-Cheek?