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Chelsea's loan army consists of 23 players that have been loaned out to other clubs for the 21-22 season. It has been a fluid avenue of income for the club with academy players and surplus first team players bringing in loan fees. However, with new loan rules coming into play which will restrict how many players a club can loan out, Chelsea will need to cut down.
Amidst the crowd, there are genuine success stories for Chelsea. Andreas Christensen and Thibaut Courtois had successful loan spells at Borussia Monchengladbach and Atletico Madrid. Frank Lampard brought in Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham, and Fikayo Tomori who had stellar campaigns in 2018-19. Trevoh Chalobah came in under Thomas Tuchel in 2021.
Some have gone on multiple loans but all the names mentioned above stood out at their loan clubs. That is the goal for Chelsea and that is the expectation they have from loaned out players.
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Following in that vein in this post, we will look at three players that are impressing at their loan clubs. These three are also likely to stand a chance of making the first-team squad for next season.
Chelsea's Mason Mount Twin - Conor Gallagher
First up on the list is Conor Gallagher. Gallagher is 22 years old and plays as a midfielder for Crystal Palace in the Premier League. “Midfielder” is a general term because similar to other academy graduates, he is able to play multiple positions in the middle of the park. Gallagher thrives in more forward positions.
This is Gallagher’s fourth loan spell. In 2019-20 he spent half a season at Charlton Athletic and the other half at Swansea. He made a total of 47 appearances with six goals and 11 assists for both clubs.
In 2020-21 he spent the entire season at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League, making 32 appearances and providing two goals and two assists. Ignoring those stats, he was a shining light on a team that got relegated.
Gallagher impressed Tuchel in pre-season last summer and the German was open to keeping him at the club. However, the player and manager decided that another loan spell would help his development. Palace came in and he has made 27 appearances for them in all competitions, providing eight goals and five assists. Gallagher has thrived in an open team and ironically is Chelsea’s top scorer in the league.
Gallagher could easily slot in to the plethora of attacking options at Chelsea. He possesses a constant willingness to press and an eye for goal similar to Mason Mount.
With the likes of Ross Barkley reportedly making way and one or two more departures in attack, it should only create more space. Gallagher will stand out amongst all these players and is primed to make an impact at Chelsea next season.
The Albanian Diego Costa - Armando Broja
Second on the list and also on a Premier League loan is Armando Broja, a striker for Southampton this season. With Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud departing Chelsea in the summer, Broja looked like he would stick around at Chelsea for the season. The 20-year-old made 34 appearances for Vitesse Arnhem during the 20-21 season, scoring 11 goals and assisting three.
Broja impressed during pre-season as he showed speed, strength and a willingness to press, all qualities appreciated by Tuchel. Southampton came in for him though and he decided to leave on loan. He has eight goals and one assist in 26 appearances in all competitions so far for the Saints.
Southampton manager Ralph Hassenhutl has become a big fan and doesn’t miss an opportunity to suggest that Broja should sign permanently.
With Romelu Lukaku being the only proper striker at Chelsea, one would think that Broja would be nailed on to come in. Lukaku’s season hasn’t really gone to plan since his club record move from Inter Milan for £97.5 million last summer. Broja has outscored the Belgian forward with the latter being at just five goals in the league.
Having played regular football and Kai Havertz also being an option for Tuchel, it will be interesting to see whether Broja is ready to fight for a place.
A Leader At 19 - Levi Colwill
Levi Colwill is a 19-year-old central defender who is on his first loan this season with Huddersfield Town in the Championship. Colwill has made 22 appearances in all competitions for the Terriers and has even scored two goals and provided an assist. Now one might say that Colwill is young, but at 19 he has become a mainstay for Huddersfield.
Left-footed central defenders rarely come by and Colwill is a talented one. His surging runs forward and his vision from defense allows Huddersfield to often create several passages of play. Colwill is strong and physical and often likes to take the game to the attackers. Like all Cobham graduates, he has the ability to play at left back but only if necessary.
Center-back is an area where Chelsea are going to see a lot of turnovers over the next few seasons. Andreas Christensen is primed to leave in the summer, while Cesar Azpilicueta could follow him with both players' contracts getting expired. Thiago Silva is 37 and while he is still amazing, his contract is extended on a yearly basis. Chelsea are trying to get Antonio Rudiger’s contract extended but he could leave in the summer as well.
That leaves Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr as the only two young centre-backs at the club. Both have impressed recently but Chalobah would be a safer long-term bet.
Colwill is a shoe-in to fill in one of these centre-back slots and will get plenty of game time regardless of who is brought in. Even if a Premier League loan is a possibility, there is enough turnover in the position for him to not be worried.
Chelsea’s academy Cobham is a factory that churns out talented players every season. It is impossible for every single one to make it good for the club long term. It is often said that the academy should be treated as an elite school that will educate players in having a stellar career. Only a few though will make it to the Chelsea first team.
Chelsea have also shown a willingness to sell these players and add a buy-back clause to their contracts. More and more young players want to play regularly rather than be sent on numerous loans. We haven’t even talked about current academy players at the club like Harvey Vale or Charlie Webster, or players like Billy Gilmour. The ones above are the latest that stand the best chance.
