First things first, nobody’s pretending it was a perfect season. We know where the club is, where it needs to improve, and how much work is ahead in order to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City. That being said, it was a season of vindication. It was a season that proved that giving young, home-grown players a chance is a choice, not a by-product of winning or of…
The Loan Report: July 20-26
The final Loan Report of the season wraps up the loose ends from the last week in England and, while action continues for a while yet in Italy, we’ll keep track of that on Twitter. England Premier League Aston Villa saw out the season and achieved Premier League survival without Danny Drinkwater, who made just three appearances and played 207 minutes there. Championship There was far more intrigue in the…
The Loan Report: July 13-19
We’re almost there; the longest season in Loan Report history has but a couple of weeks to go, but there’s still much at stake. England Premier League Aston Villa’s fight against relegation looks set to finish without the services of Danny Drinkwater, as the midfielder once again missed out on selection away to Everton in midweek. Jacob Maddox joined Southampton on loan in January with a view to a permanent…
The Loan Report: July 6-12
Another week of Loan Army action is in the books and, while few feathers were ruffled, there’s still much to play for. England Premier League Except if you’re Danny Drinkwater of course. He wasn’t involved in either of Aston Villa’s matches again. Championship Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher continue to impress at Swansea, helping them to a 3-1 midweek win over Jake Clarke-Salter’s Birmingham City, before losing out at the…
The Loan Report: June 29 – July 5
June gave way to July this past week and, while the Loan Report still lacks fireworks, we’re moving towards the end of a long season that will have tested the resolve of everyone involved. Headliners The headlines this week were made by two players who aren’t actually playing. Charlie Brown’s first venture into professional football was ended prematurely when the Belgian season was cancelled due to the pandemic, but he…
The Chelsea Academy Class of 2020
Football has been in a strange place these last few months, and few if any of us really know what lies ahead, but there are some constants that remain in place regardless. The academic school year, for example, might have been interrupted in March by the government’s enforced lockdown, but it officially ends in July and everyone moves up a year or heads for pastures new. The fabled last day…
The Loan Report: June 22-28
It’s a been a slow and steady return to life on loan for Chelsea’s far-flung masses, with the headlines this week taken by Mario Pašalić and Matt Miazga. Headliners This will be Pašalićs last-ever appearance in a Loan Report, for this week Atalanta officially triggered their option to buy the Croatian midfielder, bringing an end to a six-year affiliation with Chelsea. After joining from Hajduk Split in 2014, Pašalić was…
The Loan Report: June 15-21
Football is well and truly back across Europe now, so the Loan Report returns in full to catch up on what’s been happening as the 2019-20 season hurtles towards a hurried conclusion. England Premier League Danny Drinkwater didn’t feature for Aston Villa against Sheffield United in midweek, and loan rules prevented him from doing so against Chelsea on Sunday. Championship Swansea were quick out of the blocks on the Championship’s…
The Loan Report: June 8-14
We’re back! After a three-month hiatus, the Loan Report returns for what promises to be a season finale like no other. The majority of leagues across Europe will be back in action by next weekend, with a six-week sprint to the finish line in early August and, while some leagues have been back for a while, the action is really about to pick back up. Who’s already finished? Some leagues,…
Chelsea Academy In A Time Of Lockdown
It’s been three months since everything shut down. Ordinarily a thriving, energetic hub of promise, innovation and teamwork, Chelsea’s Cobham training ground has been reduced to a skeleton operation where the first team are only just getting back to business, but for the academy, everything has changed. How do you run a youth development system remotely? Well, you adapt. You find a way, and you return to your principles. For…