To round up the 2012-13 youth football season at Chelsea, we’re reviewing every single one of the Chelsea youngsters currently on the books who have spent time out on loan during the campaign. Here, we focus on Milan Lalkovic.
Club: Vitória SC (Portugal)
Appearances: 8 (0 goals)
The Story
Entering the last year of his contract, a campaign during which he would turn 20, a loan move for Milan Lalkovic was of paramount importance to the Slovakian’s development. An intriguing home was found in the form of Portuguese top flight side Vitória Guimaraes, where the Blues also sent Croatian goalkeeper Matej Delac.
Unfortunately, the move went the same way as Milan’s brief stays at Doncaster Rovers and ADO Den Haag in 2011-12. He made eight appearances, although desperately few were for any considerable time on the pitch, and returned to England in early January. No further moves materialised and instead he continued in his role with the Under-21 squad, which wasn’t the ideal situation given he not only needed but deserved a considerable spell in professional football.
Nonetheless he kept working hard with the Under-21 team and regularly set an example to some of the younger players he played alongside later in the season with a series of first class displays.
The Future
Milan is coming to the end of his Chelsea contract but is not a certainty to leave. He has indicated on social media that fans should wait until the end of the season to see what happens regarding his next step. If he does remain at the club, a loan move where he actually plays must happen, as another year without regular football could be devastating.