In moves which had been expected, Gael Kakuta and Patrick van Aanholt both secured loan deals on Wednesday for the remainder of the 2010/11 season.
French forward Kakuta will be making the short trip to Fulham, where he will bolster an attack which has been hit by injuries for much of the season to date.
Dutch full-back van Aanholt, meanwhile, will return to The Championship for a third time in his fledgling career, this time to promotion-chasing Leicester City, under the stewardship of Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Both players had been linked with temporary spells abroad, but it is revealing that the pair ended up staying in England, perhaps allowing Blues staff to keep a closer eye on their development with an easier manner of gauging their progress.
Kakuta, revered as a potential future national team player in his native France, had been linked with a host of top-flight Ligue Une teams, including title-chasing Lille, Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille. However, there seemed to be a reluctance from Chelsea to allow him to make such a move, and instead alternative suitors were sought.
Mark Hughes’ Cottagers struck up a keen interest and discovered an alternative to the outright signing of Shaun Wright-Phillips, who they have been linked with this month.
Gael’s versatility in being able to play in an attacking midfield role – wide or central – or off of a single striker will prove beneficial to a team which has seen Moussa Dembele and Bobby Zamora lost for much of the campaign, with Andy Johnson only recently returning from a long layoff.
Clint Dempsey has been pressed into duty in a more advanced role and whilst the club’s forwards are slowly regaining fitness, the purpose of Kakuta’s loan will surely be to guarantee him regular Premier League action.
He is unlikely to be involved in the squad for the trip to Liverpool this evening, and is cup-tied for the weekend FA Cup tie against Tottenham, but should make his debut at home to Newcastle next Wednesday night live on Sky.
Van Aanholt, meanwhile, returns to a division where he played for much of last season, firstly for Coventry City, then for eventual champions Newcastle United.
He returned to Stamford Bridge having benefitted from that experience and made his debut for the Blues, before going on to make a first start this season, scoring against the Magpies in Carling Cup action.
As revealed by Frank Arnesen back in August, the plan for both van Aanholt and compatriot Jeffrey Bruma was to keep them at the club for the first half of the season with a loan expected in the second, and this has come to pass.
Leicester have made ambitious moves this month to bolster a squad which is seeking a playoff berth, and with only one specialist left-back on the books, Patrick has a strong chance of regular involvement.
Dutch media has also today revealed that he has been offered a new contract by Chelsea, one which would take him through to the end of the 2014/15 season. His current deal expires in eighteen months and they would like to tie down one of their brightest prospects.
Don’t forget, you can keep right up to date with how Gael, Patrick, and all of the club’s loanees do throughout the season here at TheChels.net with weekly loan roundups, and on Twitter @chelseayouth.