Over the years, Chelsea have become renowned for plucking the world’s best youngsters and placing them into their famed academy. These players are then trained, eventually loaned out and their progress is waited on and checked on rigorously, before letting them play for the main team. One player who defied these usual practices is Ruben Loftus- Cheek, an Englishman who joined Chelsea at the age of eight and has been there ever since.
He made his debut for Chelsea in 2014, when he came on for a Champions League game against Sporting CP. The manager at the time, Jose Mourinho was left very impressed with the youngster’s performances and the ‘Great one’ earmarked Loftus-Cheek for greatness at the club. Several other praises were hurled in the direction of Loftus-Cheek as he became one of the few players to wipe out the stereotype at Chelsea, which was to invest heavily in players.
Despite only playing a handful of games in his debut season, he was still given a Premier League winner’s medal nevertheless as Jose Mourinho thought he was deserving of it. The next season saw him make a few more appearances and his first league goal came against Aston Villa in a 4-0 win away from home. He followed that goal up by making two more appearances from the start against Swansea and Manchester City.
Such form led to a lot of hype that clouded Loftus-Cheek as great things were expected of him. At 6’3, he is a real presence in midfield. He can be deployed both in central midfield and as an attacking midfielder. Antonio Conte, who has also been impressed with his qualities, has earmarked him for altogether a different position, though, as the Italian feels Loftus-Cheek should be playing as a striker due to the qualities he possesses. He was tried there in pre-season, alongside Diego Costa, but to minimum effect.
This season, though, Loftus-Cheek has seen very little game time. This has led to suggestions that he could be farmed out on loan in order to give him sufficient playing time, something his career at this stage badly needs. Fellow academy graduate Nathaniel Chalobah is also ahead of him in the pecking order and the presence of many other stalwarts in the Chelsea line-up could prevent Loftus-Cheek from making the progress everyone had wanted him to.
He has made a total of just 3 appearances this season. With no European football to contend with, Conte will struggle to get Loftus-Cheek into his Premier League line-up. Chelsea’s exit in the EFL cup at the hands of West Ham will also mean that his prospective opportunities in the first team are limited as it is.
Loftus-Cheek would be better served by moving to a club, preferably a Premier League club on loan. Such a move will help him get necessary playing time and good performances out on loan could lead to him being a vital part of Chelsea’s season next time around. Next season, Chelsea will definitely be in Europe and this could open up opportunities for youngsters such as Loftus-Cheek to make an impression in the first team. But until then, a loan move in January will help the youngster settle his nerves and get some real playing time under his belt.