When it comes to the loan market, Chelsea is the Premier League’s most astute club. The Blues are notorious for sending out a myriad of players ahead of every new season to earn first-team minutes or raise their price tags in preparation for a permanent transfer. Chelsea approved many loan exits to clubs in Europe and beyond this summer.
Most of these players are youngsters, and Stamford Bridge’s management will be keeping a close eye on them to ensure their development stays on track. Meanwhile, some Chelsea loanees are also men who do not figure in Thomas Tuchel’s plans and must try to make a mark for themselves elsewhere. Without further ado, here is how some of Chelsea’s on-loan players are faring.
How many players does Chelsea have out on loan?
Chelsea currently has 22 players on loan from their senior and U23 squads, with Thierno and Kenedy Ballo being recalled from loan spells early this year. Mason Burstow arrived from Charlton before being loaned back there for the rest of the season, and Ethan Wady and Bryan Fiabema headed out on loan mid-season. The list of loanees includes youngsters like Juan Familia-Castillo, who most fans have never heard of, as well as seasoned veterans like Danny Drinkwater.
Let’s look at some of them and how they are faring. And you can read about others on this Thai news website.
The players on loan
Mason Burstow
This season, Mason Burstow has appeared in 10 League One games for Charlton, scoring two goals. However, he has only made three appearances as the blues loanee. Burstow advanced through the Charlton youth system before breaking into the first team at the end of 2021. Chelsea signed him in the winter transfer window before being loaned back immediately.
Abdul Baba Rahman
Abdul made his debut in a 3-3 draw with QPR, playing 90 minutes, and is Reading’s first choice at the left-back. Reading has managed to keep four clean sheets with him in the team, but they had only won two games out of 19 games before their vital 3-2 win over Preston on February 19. He missed three of those defeats due to Ghana’s participation in the African Nations Cup but returned to help the club against Huddersfield on January 22.
Matt Miazga
Matt Miazga, who hasn’t played for the Blues since the 2015/16 season, now plays for Alaves in Spain, and things aren’t going well. The American featured in six of his first seven games for the club after signing, but Alaves conceded eight goals, three of which he came on debut. Since then, he has appeared in only three of the team’s fifteen games.
Karlo Ziger
Karlo Ziger, a goalie, appeared on the bench three times in the Champions League and once in the Premier League for Chelsea last season. Very few outside Chelsea will recognize him. This season, he is on loan at Slovenian side Rudar Velenje, where he has managed to keep two clean sheets and conceded 15 goals.
Billy Gilmour
Billy Gilmour would easily be in the top two or three if this article looked at quality and skill. But we aren’t. The player who was named Man of the Match on his FA Cup debut and his full Premier League, Champions League, and Scotland debuts has been incredibly underutilized at Norwich City.
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