The Loan Army is still affected by the European winter break, but players are returning, both to action and to Chelsea as the January transfer window opens. Headliners Our headliners this week concern those players who are now back at Cobham after seeing their loans come to a premature end, and also those who are set to. Jacob Maddox and Luke McCormick both came home after struggling with League One…
Under-18s: Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal
For eighty minutes, it was business as usual at Cobham. Chelsea’s Under-18s led Arsenal 2-0 and were comfortably on their way to a third win over the Gunners, extending their lead at the top of the league in the process. Then things got weird. Sam Greenwood and Matthew Dennis struck with the only two shots the visitors got on target all day, stealing a point, and while a defeat for…
The Academy Decade: Incomparable Success
There is no argument about it; Chelsea have been the most successful club in England at academy level over the past decade. Seven FA Youth Cups, two UEFA Youth League titles, domestic league wins at Under-18 and Under-21 level and a remarkable domination of just about every junior age-group tournament you care to name. With thirty first-team graduates on top of the cake, it’s been an historic ten years and,…
The Loan Report: December 23-29
The final Loan Report of 2019 is an abridged one, due to much of Europe still being on a winter hiatus, but there’s still stuff to check up on. England Premier League Danny Drinkwater’s time at Burnley likely came to an end with a pair of matches spent on the substitutes’ bench. His loan at Turf Moor is unlikely to be extended, so the hunt is on for a new…
The Loan Report: December 16-22
You can’t keep Mario Pašalić down, as he ably demonstrated again this week, with a goal and an assist to take the Loan Army into Christmas. Headliners Pašalić has arguably been the player of the Loan Army season to date, considering his level of performance for a genuinely good Atalanta team. Having booked their place in the Champions League knockout rounds last week, they were back on top in Serie…
