Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Chelsea

sportsmole.co.uk, 21 February 2024, 12:15
If Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital had their way, they would have ideally been cashing in on several of the 23 players that currently find themselves out of loan.

Some of the deals that have been conducted involve obligations and options to buy, it yet to be seen whether those transfers will be made permanent.

Nevertheless, at a time when Mauricio Pochettino has not been shy in including academy prospects and youngsters acquired from elsewhere on his substitutes' bench, attention is being paid to how players are faring elsewhere, either from a development or financial perspective.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at each of the respective situations, assessing whether they can be regarded as a success or failure at this stage.

FOREIGN LOANS

Having only been provided with 409 minutes of football spread across 15 appearances by Pochettino, Ian Maatsen has immediately gone on to make seven starts at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

Whether the German giants activate a £35m buy option remains to be seen, but there may be room for manoeuvre on Chelsea's side if it means cashing in on the left-sided Dutch player.

Young Brazilian Angelo has been one of the success stories so far, the 19-year-old featuring for 999 minutes across 20 Ligue 1 outings while at Strasbourg, contributing three assists in the process.

He has since been joined by compatriot Andrey Santos, who made his debut from the substitutes' bench at the weekend, while American goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina has made 24 starts for Eupen in the Belgian top flight.

Galatasaray will sign Hakim Ziyech on a permanent basis at the end of the season, although the Morocco international has made just nine starts and five substitute outings in Super Lig and Champions League fixtures.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has recently lost his place in the team at Real Madrid after making 18 starts, the likelihood now being that he will return to Chelsea at the end of the season with one year left on his contract.

Unless Roma can negotiate a permanent deal, the same will likely apply to Romelu Lukaku, who has scored 16 goals for the Italian outfit in all competitions and holds a contract at Chelsea until 2026.

DOMESTIC LOANS

Chelsea loaned Armando Broja to Fulham in the hope that he would receive regular game time. Instead, the form of Rodrigo Muniz has led to the forward featuring for just 32 minutes across two substitute outings.

As it stands, Fulham look likely to pay Chelsea a loan fee for failing to use Broja frequently enough, but the Blues will be delighted with David Datro Fofana's game time at Burnley.

Two goals and one assist have come from 238 minutes of Premier League football, already more than Lewis Hall has acquired all season at Newcastle United.

Terms are in place for the Magpies to buy the youngster in the summer, yet it is unclear whether Hall making just four starts and seven substitute outings is enough to activate that £28m clause.

In the Championship, Mason Burstow has contributed just one goal and one assist from his 11 starts and six substitute outings for Sunderland under three different managers.

Defender Bashir Humphreys has 25 appearances to his name at a struggling Swansea City, while Alex Matos has already made seven Championship starts for Huddersfield Town since moving to the Terriers in January.

Omari Hutchinson continues to impress at Championship promotion contenders Ipswich Town, making 14 starts and 23 substitute outings in all competitions that have led to five goals and five assists.

In League One, Harvey Vale has emerged as a key man for Bristol Rovers, chipping in with two goals and four assists from 28 league appearances, largely from the left flank.

Injury has restricted Tino Anjorin to four starts and four substitute outings at Portsmouth, the playmaker not featuring since November, while Dion Rankine has accumulated 18 starts and six substitute outings for Exeter City in the third tier, predominantly down the right-hand side.

Goalkeeper Jamie Cumming, who has spent time on the Chelsea substitutes' bench this season, has made eight starts for Oxford United since his January move, but Zak Sturge's loan at Peterborough United has not worked out with the left-sided player making two starts and 10 substitute outings, as well as not featuring since December.

ACADEMY LOANS

Although Charlie Webster has gained valuable experience with Dutch side Heerenveen, the midfielder has been given just 119 minutes across seven Eredivisie appearances, the most recent coming in January.

Goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe has made just one appearance during his season-long loan stint with National League side Bromley, but Eddie Beach is faring much better at Gateshead, conceding just seven goals in four appearances since his January loan switch.

Top News

27 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Struggling FC Midtjylland welcome one of the most in-form clubs in Europe to Herning in the Europa League on Thursday, when Eintracht Frankfurt travel to the MCH Arena. 27 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have set and matched numerous unwanted records following their shock 3-3 draw with Feyenoord at the Etihad in the Champions League this evening. 27 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Erling Haaland has become the fastest player to reach 50 goal involvements in the Champions League, following his opening goal against Feyenoord this evening. 27 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Inter Miami have announced Argentina and Barcelona star Javier Mascherano as their new head coach. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk FC Twente will hope to pick up their first win of their Europa League campaign when they host Union SG in their fifth match in the competition on Thursday at De Grolsch Veste. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted his team are currently "fragile" following their 3-3 draw with Feyenoord in the Champions League, while the Spaniard appeared to be covered in cuts during his post-match interviews. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hungarian champions Ferencvaros are set to welcome Swedish champions Malmo to Groupama Arena on Thursday in their fifth Europa League game of the season. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy insists the 'wheels have come off' at Manchester City after their three-goal implosion on Tuesday night. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In their fifth Europa League match of 2024-25, Portuguese side Braga will host Bundesliga team Hoffenheim at Estadio Municipal de Braga on Thursday. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Long-time teammates for both club and country, Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi are finally reunited. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lyon will seek to ignore off-field concerns and continue their excellent form on the pitch when they make the long trip to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag FK in the Europa League on Thursday. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Micah Richards was 'banned' from discussing Brest on Tuesday night, leading to a hilariously immature conversation about the French side. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Dutch giants Ajax will travel to the Basque region of Spain for Thursday's Europa League clash against Real Sociedad. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Robert Lewandowski now has over 100 Champions League goals, but he still has a long way to go to catch leader Cristiano Ronaldo. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ange Postecoglou may be forced into starting some of his big-hitters in attack when Tottenham Hotspur face Roma in the Europa League on Thursday. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paulo Dybala could return to the Roma starting lineup when they face Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League in North London on Thursday night. 26 November 2024 talksport.com EA FC 25's Road to the Knockouts campaign is well underway as teams look to progress in Europe. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Man City's torrid run continues after they let a three-goal slip against Feyenoord in the Champions League. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Robert Lewandowski fired Barcelona to another three points in the Champions League as his Barca side emerged as 3-0 victors against Brest on Tuesday night, continuing their march toward the round of 16. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have seen their woes deepen as they were pegged back from 3-0 up to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord at the Etihad in the Champions League this evening. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich boosted their Champions League progression bid after a slow start to the league phase with a crucial 1-0 victory over 10-man Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday evening at the Allianz Arena, pushing PSG into a concerning position outside the top 24 qualification spots. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal scored five goals in a Champions League away game for just the third time as they obliterated a sorry Sporting Lisbon 5-1 at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Jude Bellingham has divided opinion among two of talkSPORT's most esteemed pundits following his latest press conference. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fresh off the back of their astonishing 4-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend, Tottenham Hotspur welcome a Roma side in disarray to North London in the Europa League on Thursday. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Arsenal defender Gabriel rubbed salt into Sporting's wounds by mocking superstar Viktor Gyokeres' iconic celebration. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Erling Haaland is back with a bang for Manchester City in the Champions League, but couldn't help his side to victory in a 3-3 draw. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Mohamed Salah is desperate to extend his time on Merseyside and is more likely to stay at Anfield beyond the summer than leave, Liverpool transfer expert David Lynch has claimed. 26 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's win against Southampton on Sunday has made the Reds clear favourites for the Premier League title and was a sign that Arne Slot's side are ready to be champions, Reds expert David Lynch has argued. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Gabriel Agbonlahor has called on Liverpool to open the chequebook for Mohamed Salah and avoid an 'unforgivable' mistake. 26 November 2024 talksport.com Robert Lewandowski has followed in the footsteps of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with his latest and historic Champions League goal.