Simply Not Good Enough: 3 Chelsea players That Need To Be Loaned Out/Sold In January

With a change in formation, it became clear as to which players would feature more for Chelsea. There is now an emphasis on solid defensive organisation and at the same time, the attacking players are given free roles up front to combine and make things happen. Antonio Conte’s efforts haven’t gone to waste as Chelsea have now kept 5 clean sheets in as many league games and scored 16 goals in the same period. Such form has seen them turn into genuine title contenders again and Conte without a doubt must be praised for giving the Chelsea players the belief to perform on such levels again.

They might have won the title under Mourinho but never did they look so convincing. There is another quality that the Chelsea team have inherited since the arrival of Conte and that is their ability to be on the front foot from the first minute to the last of a game. Conte has used pretty much the same players in his system since the 3-0 loss to Arsenal. This solidarity and consistency in team selection has re-invigorated a Chelsea team that were found wanting way too many times last season.

New managers at clubs will always take some time to get their squad right and Conte too will need a couple of transfer windows at the least to fine-tune his squad and filter out the dead-wood that remains in his squad. Conte to his credit has done well so far and even given youth players the chance to shine. Victor Moses is one player whose performances have been praised and Conte deserves credit for bringing him back into the Chelsea main team fold.

Here are 3 players that should be loaned out/ sold in the January transfer window –

John Obi Mikel

The Nigerian, a defensive midfielder by trait,  joined Chelsea in 2006 following a prolonged transfer saga that involved Manchester United and his former club, Lyn. Following his move to Stamford Bridge, Mikel became a regular starter and won the ‘Chelsea young player of the year’ award twice in succession in 2007 and 2008. He has won several trophies in his time at Chelsea which include 2 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, a Champions league title that was followed by a Europa League success. Clearly, his time at Chelsea has been a fruitful one and Mikel will be happy that he’s a recognized part of Chelsea’s successes. But his role with the team has changed over the years drastically. From being a guaranteed starter in his earlier days, he is now a player that has failed to get a look in this season. This is mainly due to Chelsea’s acquisition of N’golo Kante who has done remarkably well since moving from Leicester.

Now 29, Mikel should look to move on from Chelsea and start over again. For a player of his stature and talents, he has seen very little or no game time this season and that is appalling. Nathaniel Chalobah also seems to be ahead of him in the midfield pecking order and this should be seen as worrying signs for Mikel. There would be several clubs looking to sign Mikel and they should take a punt on him, as at 29, he has quite a few years ahead of him.

Marco Van Ginkel

Over the years, Chelsea have formed a strong partnership with Dutch club Vitesse. The partnership saw several Chelsea players being loaned out to Vitesse for game time. It was only natural that Chelsea would be keeping an eye on exciting talent in the Vitesse ranks too. One such player is Marco Van Ginkel who signed for The Blues from Vitesse in an 8 million pounds deal. Ginkel was signed at the start of Mourinho’s second stint at Chelsea. But the Dutchman failed to produce the goods that was expected of him. A holding midfielder by trait, Ginkel has an incredible box to box abilities and likes scoring a goal or two from time to time. But his time at Chelsea has been poor – to say the least. He has already had 3 loan spells away from the club.

AC Milan, Stoke City and PSV were the clubs he was loaned out to. Ginkel was hugely successful in the second half of last season when he returned home for a loan spell at PSV, where he scored 8 goals in 15 games. He should leave Chelsea on a permanent basis and get his career back on track. And at 23, he has plenty of time on his hands to resurrect his career.

Michy Batshuayi

The Belgian striker was a summer acquisition from Marseille. His arrival might have spurred on Diego Costa to do better and step it up a level, but it hasn’t been easy going for Michy. He finds himself on the sidelines and is given rare substitute appearances. Such has been the form of his competitor at Chelsea. Diego Costa is the top scorer of the Premier League season and no top scorer likes to be sit on the bench. Conte is bringing the best out of the naturalised Spaniard and this has guaranteed a subdued role for the Batshuayi. He made a good start to his career at Chelsea after scoring and assisting a goal against Watford after coming on as a substitute.

He also has a brace to his name this season, in the EFL cup. These are his only noteworthy performances to date as he hasn’t been given more chances. He should look to leave on loan or even permanently if the right club comes calling.

Get the best bonus tips at M88