Chelsea loan report as Lukaku stars, players recalled and transfer fight starts
As they so often do, Chelsea have an army of players out on loan and with the season reaching its halfway stage, it's safe to say the Blues have enjoyed mixed results.
The west London side have seen 24 players depart the club temporarily, though three have returned to the club prematurely in Ted Curd, Zak Sturge and Andrey Santos. David Datro Fofana is already on his second move of the season too and it's safe to say it has not been plain-sailing for many.
Chelsea have been busy in January with Fofana's move to Burnley only the latest in a series of loans. Eddie Beach, Ian Maatsen, Jamie Cumming and Alex Matos have all head out to ply their trade elsewhere for the remainder of the season. Mirror Football takes a look at how Chelsea's on-loan aces have got on so far this season.
Eddie Beach
The young goalkeeper endured a baptism of fire in his Gateshead debut as barely 24 hours after joining the club, a Will Grigg hat-trick saw Chesterfield put the Heed to the sword five-nil.
Kepa Arrizabalaga
This weekend saw the Spaniard lift his first trophy with Real Madrid as Los Blancos defeated Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. Having arrived as the club's No.1 goalkeeper in August, injury has seen Kepa lose his place in the team to Andrey Lunin however.
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Chances of a permanent move in the summer look increasingly slim after £17.5million fee had been touted.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has endured a mixed time at Real Madrid and did not start in the Spanish Super Cup versus Barcelona (Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid)Jamie Cumming
Having started Chelsea's first match of pre-season, Cumming did not play a competitive minute of football until he donned his goalkeeper gloves against Carlisle United for Oxford United in a 3-1 win this past weekend. The Cobham product's contract is set to expire in the summer so he will hope to impress on his six-month loan.
Teddy Sharman-Lowe
The European under-19 Championship winner moved to Bromley in the summer and after starting in goal for his side's first game of the season has barely left the bench under former Arsenal goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman. That did not stop him producing some penalty heroics against Chippenham Town in the FA trophy on Saturday to ensure the Ravens progressed.
Gabriel Slonina
The US goalkeeper signed for £12million in 2022 and head off on loan to Belgian side Eupen at the start of this season. The 19-year-old has put in a number of impressive performances but his side sit among the teams set for relegation and six points from safety with 43 goals conceded in 20 matches.
Ian Maatsen
The young defender rejected a summer transfer to Burnley to remain at Chelsea but was generally only trusted from the bench. The Dutchman completed a move to Borssia Dortmund this month and went straight into the starting lineup for their win over Darmstadt.
Bashir Humphreys
The central defender impressed Pochettino during the pre-season tour of the United States and has since probably had one of the Blues' more stable loans at Swansea. Nevertheless he has worked under two head coaches in that time in Michael Duff and Luke Williams, but has cemented his place in the Welsh side's first XI and made 21 appearances this season.
Tino Anjorin
The young midfielder, who was highly regarded by Thomas Tuchel, has unfortunately seen another injury-hit campaign. Anjorin was just beginning to make his presence felt for Portsmouth before tearing his hamstring and as a result has not played since October.
Cesare Casadei
Another youngster who travelled to the United States with the club in the summer, Casadei completed a season-long loan to Leicester City. The Italian midfielder has predominantly been used from the bench across his 25 appearances for the Foxes, who are flying high at the top of the Championship table, but he has started the club's most recent three games.
Lewis Hall
Chelsea agreed a season-long loan deal with Newcastle United for the Cobham product that will likely see the 19-year-old move permenantly to the north east come the end of 2023/24. However, Hall has struggled to earn much playing time this season with just 268 minutes to his name across the Premier League, Carabao Cup and Champions League.
Omari Hutchinson
The young winger who joined from Arsenal 18 months ago is enjoying a productive loan at Ipswich Town. Widely used from the bench, Hutchinson has proven an exciting option from the Tractor Boys as they contend for promotion to the Premier League and has added three goals and three assists in his first season of senior football.
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Omari Hutchinson will hope to have a hand in securing promotion for Ipswich Town (Robin Jones)Harvey Vale
After a disappointing loan to Hull City last term, Vale has bounced back with his move to Bristol City. The 20-year-old has worked his way into the side and been used at both left-back and on the wing to supply five assists and two goals for Bristol Rovers. The Chelsea youngster was the club's first loan player to earn more than 2,000 minutes this season.
Charlie Webster
The silky Chelsea midfielder joined Heerenveen for his first outing into a senior football. Webster scored for the Dutch side on his full debut but also received a red card against Go Ahead Eagles and has struggled to feature since.
The former winner of the best player award at the Kevin De Bruyne Cup has only started for the under-21 side since.
Diego Moreira
The young Portuguese star arrived on a free transfer from Benfica in the summer and quickly shared his time between Chelsea's first team and development side.
Moreira made his first team debut against AFC Wimbledon before departing the field early against West Brom in Premier League 2 to complete a move to Lyon. The teenager has been used sparingly so far this term but shown flashes of his quality.
Alex Matos
The young midfielder only joined Chelsea in the summer but has been around the first team squad for most of that time due to the club's injury issues. Pochettino is a fan of the 19-year-old but January has seen the youngster move to Huddersfield Town on loan and he has made a good first impression in matches against Manchester City and Plymouth Argyle.
Mason Burstow
After spending pre-season with the Blues and making his Premier League debut in August, Burstow moved on loan to Sunderland. The young striker was immediately in the starting lineup following his arrival but has yet to score a goal and has dropped onto the bench.
New Black Cats boss Michael Beale has confirmed that Burstow will likely remain with the side for the remainder of the season. However, Sunderland are targeting another striker.
David Datro Fofana
Fofana started his season with Bundesliga side Union Berlin and endured a tumultuous period that saw him have cross words with coach Uri Fischer before being left out of a squad by his repalcement, Nenad Bjelica due his training application. The forward only netted twice during his time with the club and has since been recalled to facilitate Chelsea completing Ian Maatsen's loan to Borussia Dortmund.
His return was shortlived however and the 21-year-old has since completed a loan move to Burnley.
Angelo Gabriel
The Brazilian arrived at Chelsea in the summer and quickly established himself as an exciting prospect on the wing. A move to sister club RC Strasbourg soon arrived and Angelo has continued to impress though lacked the final product to truly shine.
He has delivered three assists across 17 appearances under the tutelage of Patrick Vieira.
Romelu Lukaku
While Chelsea have endured some difficulties in front of goal, Romelu Lukaku has rediscovered his knack under Jose Mourinho at Roma. The Belgian forward has recorded 14 goals in 25 appearances for the Serie A side after a dramatic summer saw a move to Inter Milan not come to fruition.
Dion Rankine
The Cobham product joined Exeter for the season in search of his first senior minutes and has impressed in Devon. Rankine has predominanlty operated on the wing and despite missing two months with injury has still proven to be a regular in Gary Caldwell's starting lineup
Hakim Ziyech
Chelsea could not find a permanent transfer for the Moroccan international whose contract does not expire until 2025. A loan to Galatasaray instead awaited the 30-year-old, and while there has been talk of that deal being cancelled, Ziyech has remained productive with four goals and two assists from 14 appearances.
“I have found joy again," said Ziyech in December, "I can be myself here and feel that I’m blooming again."
The Blues will hope to be able to move him on in the summer.
Recalled
Andrey Santos endured a disastrous loan to Nottingham Forest before being recalled earlier this month. The Brazilian youngster made just two appearances after the Premier League side added more central midfielders following his arrival.
He has travelled to represent his nation in an Olympic-qualifying tournament and Chelsea must now consider his next steps.
Ted Curd and Zak Sturge have also been recalled from loans at Hashtag United and Peterborough United respectively. The former returns having been a regular for the team born from social media and having travelled to the under-17 World Cup with England, to help facilitate Beach's move away.
Sturge however struggled to break into Posh's starting lineup during his time at the club. The former Brighton product has featured in Premier League 2 in the Blues win over Manchester United following his return.
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