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Our Youth on Loan


Eton Blue at the Chelsea Megastore

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Who was the forum member who used to provide updates on how our loanees were doing? Used to be good and haven't seen for a while but he probably got fed up doing it as there wasn't a lot of feedback and we all know how matter how well our youngsters do on loan, ultimately, it doesn't seem to get them anywhere.

 

I've kept watch on Christensen at BM, but anyone know how the lads at Vitesse are doing? And what about the latest on Jeremie Boga? Has Bamford got any minutes at Norwich yet - he obviously can't be involved tonight?

 

I see one of our ex youth players Gokhan Tore is being linked with a possible move to West Ham in the Summer as Bilic is said to be a fan. He always looked to have what it would take to play at a decent level but was another one who had to knuckle down and find consistency. He's the sort of player who can be unplayable one week and useless the next but would like to see him playing in the PL, even if it isn't with us.

try this

 

http://thechels.net/2016/02/the-loan-report-february-22-28/

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Agree on Aké, I think he's comfortably performed well enough this season to be a part of our squad in 2016/17. Not the most spectacular player on our books, but his versatility is a real asset, especially considering our dearth of left backs.

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Thanks PM.

 

Doesn't sound great and I really am losing track of what players we have on loan and who is where and who are the ones likely to progress (if any)?

 

It's like a conveyor belt of young footballers. Some are in danger of being forgotten as the next batch come through. Watching the U '21's draw 0-0 with Southampton last night and it really hits home. Some of the team I hadn't heard of, some are at a stage where they are probably about to go out on loan and a couple seem to have been around for ages and are unlikely to have any chance and will desperately be looking for a club in the near future. The ones who are already or are approaching 20 and haven't got anywhere near the first team squad, they may as well move on in the summer. Seems harsh, practically writing them off at CFC when only 20, but you do feel, the ones who have any chance, however slim, would have already been involved in the first team squad and perhaps made the bench. Abraham looked lively when he came on - he didn't start as he'd played in the Youth Cup game on Friday but even for him, he will feel the clock is ticking when he is nowhere near the first team but sees youngsters at other clubs already progressing further.

Its a real shame I was really getting excited at the prospects of Baker, Solanke and Boga who were all seemingly having very productive loans and then a few injuries hit and a couple of managers leave and suddenly it looks bleak again. However I would still say that Solanke and Bakers loans have been successful.

Solanke at 18 became Vitesse's first choice striker which shows he is at a decent level at 18 as the was expected and he looked very promising, so much so Vitesse sold there original first choice ST as Solanke had made that place his own, He is certainly more complete than an Abraham and is better quality wise than Rashford but I think he will need another season or 2 of development before he can make the step into the Chelsea squad another season at Vitesse might be perfect for him and hopefully he will follow in the footsteps of Traore and have a much improved second season, before taking a role within the Chelsea squad. 

And Baker's loan has probably been one of the most consistent out there, an almost constant starter whilst throwing in some very decent performances and goals (his goal a couple of weeks ago was something to behold). To me he looks like the heir to Fabregas and I would like him here next season for that very reason, to act as a potential stand in for Fabregas and to learn from him at the same time.

I think there are quite a few others that can step up and progress enough to play in a Chelsea shirt, with Baker and Solanke previously mentioned.

Ake (21) probably one of the most obvious after having a great BPL season and It would be nice to rotate him and Baba at LB depending on the type of game with Ake being the much more solid and dependable option.

Christensen (19) likely to have another season on loan, has been one of the stars abroad becoming Gladbach first choice CB and looks set to be a very good ball playing CB in the future and a great partner for Zouma

MvG (23) getting to that age in which Jose thinks a player is ready to step up, he has been great so far for PSV and had a decent time at Stoke if we are to change up our formation a little he would make a very decent Box to Box midfielder,

likewise Pasalic (21), who is currently on a rotation role at Monaco and picking up plenty of minutes in what is a decent side, and currently reminding me a little of Ballack.

Musonda (19), has quickly become one of Real Betis's best players and one for which the crowd has been getting out of there seats, he does however need to bulk out a little if he wants to play in the Prem but in a couple of years he will certainly be knocking on the door.

Surprisingly there are a couple in the Championship that have impressed me,

Hector (23) is one i think could do a job in the BPL i haven't watch him regularly but the times I have seen him he looks better than a lot of BPL defenders and from what I have seen he looks better than Stones. 

Swift (20), has a great goal in his locker a looks good in the Championship currently he is a little too inconsistent and goes a bit invisible in some games a bit like Kevin de Bruyne currently does for City, if he can iron out his consistency he looks like he could be an Oscar type of player, probably not quite good enough for Chelsea but he looks like he can be Premiership standard.

I am hoping to see 2 or 3 of these loanees in our squad next season as i certainly think a few of them are currently good enough.

Ake is a must for me, I would like to see Baker and one of Pasalic or MvG brought into the squad, as these are all currently good enough IMO. 

 

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Watched a bit of Vitesse this year, quick summaries.

 

Solanke - Played a lot but hasn't scored as much as he should have, out until April I think.

Brown - Been pretty poor when he's played, but don't rate him much at all personally.

Nathan - Started off alright and then got injured, shown glimpses but I don't particularly rate him either. Don't know why we bought him.

Baker - Brightest of the bunch really, has done well.

Pantic - Not even worth discussing tbh.

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It is quite disgusting to see the amount of wasted talent we've had in the last 5 years. I'd say our mismanagement of certain players is criminal but that would be slightly hysterical. Uncaring is perhaps a better word. Lacking empathy? I know that we have people in the academy who genuinely care for these players, because they're human, but as a club there's something missing that most people have.

 

Ultimately they are professionals, employees, assets, commodities but I just think it's a crying shame that in the year JT could leave we don't have that next guy (just one!) to replace him in our hearts.

 

Going to the Youth Cup game on Friday and whilst it's amazing to see such great young talent, it just feels like we've been here before. Abraham is the new Solanke, and where exactly does Dom's career go from here? A loan next season to a lower-tier team? Does Abraham replace him at Vitesse and then follows the same path as Ugbo becomes the next guy.

 

The one constant is that they don't get chances here. A good loan is a rarity, happened upon by chance rather than anything planned. It's not just a problem at this club sure, but we have the best academy in the world and I'm convinced that if we'd given some of the lads chances they would have been good enough.

 

And the biggest tragedy is that we'll keep on doing that.

The problem is the step between U21s and BPL football is massive and those players too good for U21 football aren't yet good enough for premier league football and get found out so the only option that is left is to loan these layers out so they can play at a level for which they are competitive and is still challenging.

Unfortunately we don't have a B team like in some other nations as this would avoid that problem but with the league as we have it this is the only option. 

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Feel for Boga a lot to be honest, amazing talent and had to do make do with playing striker a lot when that's a terrible position for him. As things were looking good with the old manager and he was getting regular game time the new manager has come in and overlooked him a lot. Don't think he was even in the squad for their last game.

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The problem is the step between U21s and BPL football is massive and those players too good for U21 football aren't yet good enough for premier league football and get found out so the only option that is left is to loan these layers out so they can play at a level for which they are competitive and is still challenging.

Unfortunately we don't have a B team like in some other nations as this would avoid that problem but with the league as we have it this is the only option. 

 

I absolutely agree with the lack of a B team but that's backwards thinking on the part of the FA. That won't change.

 

The problem with what you've set out is that it doesn't actually seem to work. No-one has come through the Academy and made it the way you're describing so that's the starting point. In fact the only one who is in the squad is Loftus-Cheek who didn't get a loan but instead was given time in the first-team. 

 

The whole system is a mess. They should just replace some league sides with B teams, but the sh*t they'd get about the 'unique football pyramid' makes that a non-starter. Consequently you also put us behind other nations like Spain and Germany who do have B-teams playing competitive football.

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I absolutely agree with the lack of a B team but that's backwards thinking on the part of the FA. That won't change.

 

The problem with what you've set out is that it doesn't actually seem to work. No-one has come through the Academy and made it the way you're describing so that's the starting point. In fact the only one who is in the squad is Loftus-Cheek who didn't get a loan but instead was given time in the first-team. 

 

The whole system is a mess. They should just replace some league sides with B teams, but the sh*t they'd get about the 'unique football pyramid' makes that a non-starter. Consequently you also put us behind other nations like Spain and Germany who do have B-teams playing competitive football.

There are examples of it working a few in which people won't see as youth development and yes none of these are our own academy products just yet but none the same they were still part of our youth development process and all went on the loan conveyor;

Traore had 2 seasons at Vitesse where he really developed and is now on the cusp of the squad because of it likewise Courtois went on this loan conveyor and spent 3 years at Athletico Madrid after signing from Gent and grew into a top class keeper having joined Athletico before their re emergence as a top club, and then there are a couple who we have now sold on Kevin de Bruyne and Lukaku both of which flourished on loan and then were sold on for a huge fee and are now top players.

There are also some current loanees that are flourishing on there respective loans and may start to disprove your disbelief in the club sooner rather than later, with Ake, Baker and Christensen all of which I would consider homegrown having great loans so far. 

These show it can work, it isn't as consistent as we would wish it to be but how else do you suppose we do it, sell on 2 or 3 first team players each season so we can progress youth into the squad and turn into an Everton or Southampton style team I don't think so. I also think we are about to see some fruit to our loaning endeavors as I have previously stated in the Ruben Loftus-Cheek thread our golden age of youth production has only just started and the players that started this golden age are just starting to mature.  

Edited by PedroMendez
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There are examples of it working a few in which people won't see as youth development and yes none of these are our own academy products just yet but none the same they were still part of our youth development process and all went on the loan conveyor;

Traore had 2 seasons at Vitesse where he really developed and is now on the cusp of the squad because of it likewise Courtois went on this loan conveyor and spent 3 years at Athletico Madrid after signing from Gent and grew into a top class keeper having joined Athletico before their re emergence as a top club, and then there are a couple who we have now sold on Kevin de Bruyne and Lukaku both of which flourished on loan and then were sold on for a huge fee and are now top players.

 

But like you say, these aren't Academy products. They're players who, with the exception of Traore, have a huge financial investment which means we HAVE to develop them. That's £30 million+ of player.

 

There are also some current loanees that are flourishing on there respective loans and may start to disprove your disbelief in the club sooner rather than later, with Ake, Baker and Christensen all of which I would consider homegrown having great loans so far. 

 

 

Ake is having a good loan, but this was a guy who was in matchday squads under Benitez and proving himself. He put in great performances and has arguably gone backwards since then but if he's part of our squad next season then he's the biggest success story in over a decade for a team which just reached it's 7th consecutive Youth Cup semi I think.

 

Baker is having a decent loan but he's probably in the camp of 'will need a domestic loan' when he comes back and that's where we tend to lose players as well. He should be part of the squad next year, he won't be and I don't really know how his career turns out. 

 

Christensen is doing well and he's the youngest of the three. I always thought he had significant flaws in his game so I'm happy that he's progressing and hopefully we have a recall clause in the summer because he could thrive under Conte. What I suspect is that we don't and rather than capitalising on his upwards trajectory this season, he'll spend another season in Germany and from there it's anyone's guess. 

 

These show it can work, it isn't as consistent as we would wish it to be but how else do you suppose we do it, sell on 2 or 3 first team players each season so we can progress youth into the squad and turn into an Everton or Southampton style team I don't think so. I also think we are about to see some fruit to our loaning endeavors as I have previously stated in the Ruben Loftus-Cheek thread our golden age of youth production has only just started and the players that started this golden age are just starting to mature.  

 

Until they're in the first team it hasn't shown it's worked in my opinion but the example you chose is interesting. I would've chosen Spurs who are possibly going to win the league and have built a squad with a mix of good buys and youth team products. I hope you're right though but I've seen this story far too many times with far too many players from what various people labelled 'golden ages' of our youth teams.

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There are examples of it working a few in which people won't see as youth development and yes none of these are our own academy products just yet but none the same they were still part of our youth development process and all went on the loan conveyor;

Traore had 2 seasons at Vitesse where he really developed and is now on the cusp of the squad because of it likewise Courtois went on this loan conveyor and spent 3 years at Athletico Madrid after signing from Gent and grew into a top class keeper having joined Athletico before their re emergence as a top club, and then there are a couple who we have now sold on Kevin de Bruyne and Lukaku both of which flourished on loan and then were sold on for a huge fee and are now top players.

There are also some current loanees that are flourishing on there respective loans and may start to disprove your disbelief in the club sooner rather than later, with Ake, Baker and Christensen all of which I would consider homegrown having great loans so far. 

These show it can work, it isn't as consistent as we would wish it to be but how else do you suppose we do it, sell on 2 or 3 first team players each season so we can progress youth into the squad and turn into an Everton or Southampton style team I don't think so. I also think we are about to see some fruit to our loaning endeavors as I have previously stated in the Ruben Loftus-Cheek thread our golden age of youth production has only just started and the players that started this golden age are just starting to mature.  

The problem with those examples is that KDB, Lukaku and Courtois (I will add Traore here too as he was already playing International football aged 15/16) all were first team players at their respective clubs and had already racked up a significant amount of game time (I think KDB had like 100 games for Genk, league and Europe, before joining us, which is a ridiculous amount for someone so young at the time)  to help with their development. They can't be compared with our youth, not only because we spent a decent amount of money on them but also because they are far more experienced than ours so treating them all the same way by loaning them out and hoping they succeed simply doesn't work because they are all at different stages of their development. 

 

Already touched on Ake above. Baker will join the list of players who went to Vitesse, did a decent job and then come back to find themselves loaned out to Championship or lower sides, effectively making that year pointless (Good experience for them personally but in terms of their standing at the club it's pretty pointless) as they have to work from the bottom again in England. 

 

If we want the loan system to work more effectively and be more consistent then we should bring in more experienced youths like KDB, etc so that the chances of them reaching first team level or us making big bucks on their sale increases. If we actually want to develop our youth then we have to take risks and give them chances, there's no shortcut to it. You can't pass them off the other clubs and hope they do the hard work for you. You might get lucky now and then like it seems we finally are with Christensen (Hope I haven't jinxed it) but it's not really the right way to go about handling youth. Worth noting that Ake and RLC are two players from our academy that actually got a look into the first team and neither of them had been on loan when they broke into the team so when it comes to our academy youth, it seems it's more beneficial to actually stay at the club, train with the first team and take your chances when they come. 

Edited by Remodez
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Sorry in advance for all those that don;t like a long read.
 

Firstly before addressing the points below I would like to mention that I agree with both of you that loaning players (in particular the manner that we have been in the past) isn't ideal, and can cause problems for players and sometimes hamper their overall development.  
 
But I also see that there is a massive need for us too loan players as we currently possess a plethora of players some under the age of 19-20 who are miles too good for U21 level football but aren't yet close to being good enough for our first team squad, potentially needing 1-2 even 3 full seasons of good competitive football to get close to that level.  
 
And since there isn't really the option of bringing them all into the first team squad, loaning players is a necessary evil and to get the most out of it we need good loan structures in place, if we are to have any real success in what is a very unpredictable and tricky process.  
 
I think as a club we are slowly getting to grips with this and have been a lot better in recent years.  
I think our affiliation with Vitesse is a good barometer for this improvement and I believe it is beginning to look like a good place for players to go and develop, previously with Traore and now with both Solanke and Baker improving whilst on loan there, getting game time at what still is a decent level, has been very beneficial for these young players. 
 
I also think the way in which we set up our loans is very important, as clubs are using loans more now just to add depth rather than quality so will need extra incentive to play these young loanees that aren't their own commodities especially as they will also make the odd mistake.  
Preferably the incentive is just that they are the best player in their position, however providing financial or giving them longer term benefits is a much easier incentive to give especially as a youngsters true level is hard to judge and teams want often know their true skill level when they are trying to loan the player.
This season we are seemingly actively pursuing this more and have had more successful or partially successful loans as a result; 
Christensen one of our more prominent successes of the season, was signed on a 2 year loan deal meaning Gladbach will get plenty of benefit from developing him and have to both parties benefit giving all the time and support he has needed.   
Van Ginkel has racked up 750 vital BPL minutes in half a season on loan at Stoke due to a clause which meant Stoke had to pay less of his monthly fee the more minutes he received.  
More loans like this need to be actively pursued if we are using loans as a basis for talent development and we will hopefully reap many more successes.  
The signs are there that we are trying to make loans more meaningful and really make it a platform for our players to progressBut it is as much down to the players as it is the club.   
  
 

Now that's off my chest, I should probably respond to some of the very valid points and concerned raised above. 
 
 

The problem with those examples is that KDB, Lukaku and Courtois (I will add Traore here too as he was already playing International football aged 15/16) all were first team players at their respective clubs 
They can't be compared with our youth, not only because we spent a decent amount of money on them but also because they are far more experienced than ours so treating them all the same way by loaning them out and hoping they succeed simply doesn't work because they are all at different stages of their development.  

 


 
I agree these examples aren't ideal, and I wasn't even suggesting that these are a good indication as to how well the loan system can work as there has been more failures than successes, and it is very hard to be able to relate these players to one of our academy products as you have very rightly pointed out they came in from a foreign league with plenty of experience and in most of those cases for a substantial fee, but what it does show and the point i was trying to use them for is that it does show that there is a route from being on loan to the first team and that players can develop and have developed very well on loan in particular those that applied themselves.  
It also does quite readily relate to a large proportion of our 'loan army' in particular players like van Ginkel and Pasalic, both of whom I have hopes that they can be further loan 'successes'  
 
Traore on the other hand while yes having international experience is a much more similar case to that of an academy player (who will most likely have had youth level international experience which with no disrespect is probably at a similar level to Bukina Faso). It also shows that even a loan to Vitesse can warrant a first team spot albeit currently minimal, but it will surely give those players at Vitesse a bit of hope that this is a potential path for them and that it definitely doesn't require a drop to a lower English league as Shedend expressed earlier in the thread.  
I would also like to point out that two of the most notable Vitesse failures Atsu and Piazon took a step up after Vitesse and it was there where they stuttered and fell from grace with McEachran the only notable player that had to take this step down primarily due to him having an abysmal time at the club and was barely able to fight his way into the side.    

  
 

Until they're in the first team it hasn't shown it's worked in my opinion  

 
This is a rather high expectation of these players and anyone who does that there should be commended as this is no mean feat, as lets face it to play consistently in recent seasons for this Chelsea team you have to be one of the best players in the world and at least in the top 20 or so in your position. For me I would consider it a success and be happy that we had produced a good player if they can manage to get consistent top flight football (lets say in the top 1000 or so players in the world). For me that is good going obviously I would love us to see us produce multiple world beaters but that isn't really overly realistic. 
 

but the example you chose is interesting.  
I would've chosen Spurs who are possibly going to win the league and have built a squad with a mix of good buys and youth team products. I hope you're right though but I've seen this story far too many times with far too many players from what various people labelled 'golden ages' of our youth teams. 

 


 
Spurs current policy with youth and transfers would be very hard to replicate especially for a club expecting to fight on multiple fronts let us not forget they have been at the brunt of a lot of criticism over the past few season because of their transfer policy and that came even without this expectation of results, does one season when all the big clubs are faltering (baring in mind last season we would have sat 10 points above Spurs at this current stage of the season), really make this a good strategy to follow (personally I actually want them win the title this season because of what they have done) but I'm not sure this strategy will bring constant success. 

Also to follow this strategy is almost impossible I am sure Spurs are even shocked it worked out so well;
 

Firstly you need to leave yourself a really poor squad, after selling all your good players to eventually sell your 1 outstanding player and use all that money to buy 10-15 young starlets. 
Then you need to try and incorporate all of them into a side and weed out the ones that aren't good enough, whilst giving some of the younger talents a run out in the Europa League, proceed to sell all of the players that weren't good enough for significant losses. 
Next you need to get really lucky that you fail to sell your very average striker that has failed at every loan he has been on, and suddenly gains a bit of form in the Europa league and somehow turns into a top striker. 
Then you need to sign some more young talent for decent money and integrate them into the side. 
Then proceed to gain all the praise for playing a young (apparently exciting squad despite their greatest quality being defense and their ability to press, something both Chelsea and Mourinho get slated for) squad despite not having won anything yet and as of now have not once beating a season long expectation.  
Without this combination of luck, patience, persistence and a lot of trial and error, along with a lot of sympathy from fans and media alike and the lack of expectation of the club on the team this doesn't really work out.  
I would also like to add that they only have 4 youth products in their squad Kane (22), Carroll (23), Bentaleb (21) and Mason (24) which yes is quite a lot but is probably a lot less than what people perceive.   
 
It is much easy to follow the Southampton and somewhat Everton model which is have a senior squad of around 14-15 players so that in case of an injury or the need to rotate a youth prospect comes into the side and then if they begin to perform well in the other players absence they then have a chance to take that place as their own or will eventually be consider a senior player, this is similar to the progression of Zouma and something that can be done with our squad much more readily and easily. 
 
However I do have to say Spurs are the main reason why I really want us to get Europa league football next season, as it would give us a great platform to play our youth talents, we would almost be guaranteed 6 games against ok teams that don't really count as much but still count as competitive games, it would also mean we could increase the size of our squad as you are less likely to have people complaining about lack of game time with 3 cup competitions you can rotate for.

Edited by PedroMendez
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Thought this would be as good a place as any to keep an "all seeing eye" (Easy Liam) on our young lads who are on loan.

Been a flurry of activity today, and here are the names of the players and the clubs they are going to (or remaining at)

Bruma - at HSV (Bundesliga, Germany)

Courtois - Atletico (La Liga, Spain)

Kalas and Van Aanholt - Vitesse (Eredivisie, Holland)

Pirez and Davila - Sabadell (segunda Division, Spain)

Ince - Yeovil (http://www.ytfc.net/articles/20120713/welcome-to-rohan_2264794_2848748)

Would be good to keep a thread going of any news or games that any of us see or hear in one place.

Scott

 

… the first post on this thread and four years on, quite remarkably, we have no less than thirty-one players out on loan and very little by way of first team squad evolution to show for it. Favourites and flops have come and gone [though never completely] here, there and everywhere, from Stoke to Sint-Truidense (it’s in Belguim, if you’re interested) and, on occasion, back again. Honestly, you would have thought that by now someone should have got to grips with this spreading mass of variable talent and scaled it down to something resembling a manageable group. But the Chelsea Powers that Be have not seen fit to carry out a cull and if they expected Jose to begin any process - either a spate of first team squad inclusions or a sell-on bonanza - there was to be no evidence of the Special One having been given a broad remit, or paying much attention to it if he had.
 
But what all this really boils down to, at the Guus-interim point in proceedings, is that the new boss, whoever he may be, MUST be seen to be tackling the problem before the numerical size of it becomes so unwieldy it almost takes on a life of its own. In fact, as Martin Samuel recently observed, this has probably occurred already and we are now witnessing a loan-out/sell-on cottage industry in full swing - or at least halfway operational - because sure as hell we’re not selling enough product, irrespective of profit, and the excess stock on the shelves means they are full to over-flowing. Indeed, those shelves at Vitesse Arnhem and Sint-Truidense feature six and three players respectively, almost a third of our loanees, which begs the question  - are they the cream of our crop and ultimately retainable, or destined for sale further on down a mass production line whilst the others (all older and spread over a number of different clubs) soldier on in the vain hope of having a future at Chelsea?
 
Moreover, such is the current elongation of loanee shelf life, you sense that the new manager is bound to appear a heartless so-and-so if he immediately comes in and starts cutting umpteen umbilical cords, effectively ending countless Chelsea careers at a stroke. Yet is has to be done and in some cases it will involve making a choice between two players at the same stage of advancement, for no other reason than there are so many others coming through from the Development Squads who will fill those places. It’s not rocket science, it is merely a case of supply and demand, and if it were me in charge I would make room available by the simple process of reducing the number of loanees by around a third in the close season, retaining the youngest at the Dutch and Belgium holding camps, then selling on others [that should have gone ages ago] and making those unenviable choices as follows:-
 
Sell - Matej Delac (23) FK Sarajevo; Papy Djilobodji (26) Werder Bremen; Marko Marin (26); Trabzonspor;  Juan Cuadrado (27) Juventus;  Victor Moses (25) West Ham; Mohamed Salah (23) Roma; Christian Atsu (21) Malaga.
 
Choose between - Todd Kane (22) NEC Nijmegen or Wallace (21) Gremio; Kenneth Omeruo (22) Kasimpasa or Tomas Kalas (22) Middlesbrough; Stipe Perica (20) Udinese or Patrick Bamford (22)
 
Retain - Nathan Ake (21) Watford; Jeremie Boga (19) Rennes; Nathaniel Chalobah (21) Napoli; Andreas Christensen (19) Borussia Monchengladbach;  Charly Musonda (19) Real Betis; Luca Piazon (22) Reading; Michael Hector (23) Reading, John Swift (20) Brentford; Mario Pasalic (21) Monaco, Lewis Baker (20), Isaiah Brown (20), Nathan (19), Danilo Pantic (19), Dominic Solanke (18), Marco van Ginkel (23) all Vitesse Arnhem; Bekanty Angban (18), Cristian Cuevas (18), Jhoao Rodriguez (19) all Sint-Truidense.
 
The retained group could then go under the gimlet eye of the new boss, with a view to him making the momentous final decisions on the immediate futures of those he feels are capable of breaking through into the first team squad or have no chance of progression. The vacated positions could then be filled by the brightest prospects in the present Under-21 squad, subject of course to there being nobody of the calibre of Ruben Loftus-Cheek demanding fast-track treatment. Only Tammy Abraham and Jake Clarke-Salter seem to fall into this category, but realistically even they may be better off taking the Vitesse route in the long run, especially if others return from there [or elsewhere] and stake their claim for a first team squad place under the new manager - I have in mind Baker, Solanke (let him prove he is better quality than Rashford) or Musonda, but before getting too carried away on a false hope front these would be my next season loanees of choice and where I think they might be best placed:-
 
Mitchell Beeney (20) Lge Two; Fankaty Dabo (20) Lge One; Alex Davey (21) Lge One; Jake Clarke-Salter (18) Championship;  Kyle Scott (18) Vitesse [switch with Baker, who is first team squad material]; Ruben Sammut (18) Scottish Lge; Casey Palmer (19) Championship [or team promoted to Premier Lge]; Jordan Houghton (20) Championship; Alex Kiwomya (19) Lge One; Islam Feruz (20) Scottish Lge; Tammy Abraham (18) Vitesse [switch with Solanke, who is first team squad material]
.  
Edited by Dorset
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I think what's crucial is that for the majority of our loans have a recall clause. For instance now could be the perfect time to give Christensen some minutes and to show him he's a crucial part of our plans but alas he's stuck in Germany for another year.

It would be a great time for him to come back. I don't know if Monch would have accepted that clause in the loan contract however. Strikes me a two year loan is basically asking the club to buy the player and if he's any good they won't want to lose him because the parent club have decided to swipe him back.

 

The key is giving the clubs were loaning players to an incentive to play them. They should all have a recall clause (with compensation), a sell on and buy-back option. I have no qualms with selling Christensen, for example, to Monch for 10~15m if there's a buy-back clause for around the same amount if we have no plans of using him in the near future.

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