Gael Kakuta scored his second goal in as many starts for Dijon to mark the highlight of what was generally another productive week for Chelsea youngsters on the loan front. Not everyone played, but those that did generally did from the start, and made some sort of impact. Kakuta was the only one to get his name on the scoresheet, and in doing so the young Frenchman sent a message…
Brondby Teen To Join Chelsea
Andreas Christensen, a 16 year-old Danish defender currently playing for Brondby, will join Chelsea on a four-year deal at the end of the season, according to reports in Denmark this morning. Christensen has previously been linked with a move to the Blues, but also received interest from a host of other top European clubs, with Arsenal, Aston Villa and Liverpool all said to have been keen on the centre-back. However,…
The Loan Report: January 31 – February 5
After two or three weeks of transfer window activity and impactful performances, things quietened down this week on the loan front with a handful of names taking more of a backseat role after hitting the headlines throughout January. There are, however, two new names to cover from now on. Excitement over Kevin De Bruyne’s €9m arrival may have been tempered by the fact he is unlikely to be seen in…
Blue Reckoning
If ever there has been a decisive moment under AVB’s reign then this surely is it. We sit a massive 12 points behind the Manchester clubs and 7 points behind Tottenham. There are rumours that Mourinho is seeking a return to the Chelsea managerial post. Fernando Torres is being written off after a 1000 minutes without a goal. John Terry is once again being treated incredibly poorly by the FA…
Can They Kick It? Will We Ever Find Out?
op·por·tu·ni·ty Noun: A set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. When discussing youth and reserve team football and player development, everything comes back to this single word. Opportunity. It might arise through merit, or it may be through fate, but without it, a player cannot prove himself worthy. Opportunity is, at times unfortunately, at the behest of circumstance. Rarely in the upper echelons of the game is…
Dutch Loan For Lalkovic
Chelsea’s young Slovakian winger Milan Lalkovic is set to join Dutch Eredivisie outfit ADO Den Haag on loan until the end of the season, according to breaking reports. The Under-21 international revealed on his personal Twitter account earlier in the afternoon that he would be heading out on loan and reports in the Netherlands this evening, most notably from reputable outlet Voetbal International, state that his destination is The Hague….
The Loan Report: January 23-29
A slight quirk of fate in this week’s Loan Report saw two Chelsea youngsters appear in a league match for the first time in their native countries. Patrick van Aanholt’s maiden Eredivisie experience was all the sweeter as it came away to PSV Eindhoven, the club at which he spent his formative years before moving to England. Gael Kakuta, meanwhile, made his Ligue Une bow away to Lyon as a…
Milan Swoop For Prosenik
Chelsea’s teenage Austrian striker is set to join Italian giants AC Milan on a free transfer in the summer, according to multiple reports today. Prosenik, the son of former international Christian, has been with the Blues since 2009 but has managed just 25 total appearances for the youth and reserves teams (and just five goals) in a career heavily upset by injuries. After suffering a concussion and memory loss in…
Kaby Departs For Cyprus
Chelsea’s Portuguese Under-20 international midfielder Kaby will today end his career with the Blues and join Cypriot team AEL Limassol. The Guinea-Bissau born teenager, who will turn 20 next month, is out of contract at the end of the season and is therefore eligible to agree a Bosman free transfer move to any club outside of the UK. It remains to be 100% confirmed whether the move to Cyprus is…
On B Teams, the EPPP, and Change
The subject of B team football within the English football league structure is a complex one with no lack of sensitive issues. Andre Villas-Boas has twice this season added his name to a series of high-profile names who have called for a restructuring of the way young talent is developed in this country. Naturally, the issue causes some consternation, and perhaps quite rightly. There are many valid points to be…