5 players who Chelsea ought to recall from their loan spells

#5 Lewis Baker

Lewis Baker's skill with both feet could prove valuable to Chelsea

It came as quite a surprise to a lot of observers when England u21 star Lewis Baker was granted a relatively late loan move to Middlesbrough – not only because of the nature of Middlesbrough as a Championship team, but also because 2017/18 was expected to be the season in which Baker – tipped for future England stardom by Jose Mourinho in 2014 – finally broke through into Chelsea’s first-team setup.

Baker had a fantastic season on loan at Vitesse in 2016/17 – his second season in Holland – as he scored 15 goals, some of them spectacular, in his role as an attacking midfielder. He showed himself to be particularly adept in dead-ball situations, scoring a Beckham-esque free-kick in a game against Groningen, and his abilities were also on show during England u21’s European Championship campaign in the summer.

Curiously enough, Baker was seen training with the first-team squad prior to his move to Teesside, but with the wing-backs rather than the attacking midfielders. It was an interesting thought but one that could make sense given Baker’s skill on the ball, pace, and his ability to play with both feet. He’s the type of player who could definitely fill in for Conte when needed, and he really deserves more than a loan to a Championship club at this stage in his career.