Two of Chelsea’s Under-21 attacking midfielders have secured loan moves for the coming season today, with Amin Affane joining Roda JC and Thorgan Hazard moving to Zulte-Waregem.
Swedish Under-18 international Affane, who is in the last year of his contract, has spent a week training in the Netherlands with Roda, who today have finalised a loan deal for him and secured the rights to negotiate with him first as a free agent next summer.
He will wear the number 19 shirt and compete for a place amongst the first team squad.
Hazard, meanwhile, moves to his native Belgium for the first time in his professional career (having played there as a youth), a month after joining from Lens. A reported move to Standard Liege earlier this week fell through but the younger brother of superstar Eden will be playing in the Jupiler League after all this season.
Thorgan revealed that he was happy to be joining Zulte-Waregem because of the opportunities available to him:
They give opportunities to youngsters and that was the deciding factor. I just got here and immediately notice that it is a very friendly. I get the chance to prove myself at an ambitious team. I can play in a number of midfield positions.”
You can keep fully up to date with Amin, Thorgan, and Chelsea’s seventeen current other loanees here at TheChels with the weekly Loan Report, as well as on a daily basis on Twitter by following @chelseayouth.