The last three seasons have returned almost 3000 appearances and some 300 goals from dozens of Chelsea youngsters embarking on more than 100 individual loan moves. It’s an operation of immense logistical ambition on a scale never before seen in England (and only occasionally anywhere else) and yet, for all of that, can we really say it’s been a success? Speak to ten people with some level of knowledge and…
In the final Loan Report of the season we have two goals from a pair of the less-heralded loanees, and one of them in particular proved extremely decisive at the very end of the campaign. Headliners Papy Djilobodji has been something between a figure of derision and an encapsulation of everything wrong with Chelsea’s transfer policy since joining last summer but he has played pretty well for Werder Bremen in…
Chelsea’s penultimate Under-21 match of 2015-16 saw a young side travel north to Manchester City and come away from the Etihad Stadium with a hard-earned 1-0 victory. Despite giving up plenty to their opponents on paper, they proved more than a match on the mitch in a game that was wide open for long stretches before tightening up late on, but substitute Charlie Colkett pounced for an opportunity winner five…
The Loan Report turned up its second domestic title winner of the season this weekend whilst, with the season finishing for several teams, John Swift signed off his Brentford stay with another goal, and a fellow Championship player celebrated promotion. We begin, though, with Marco van Ginkel. Headliners The Dutch international midfielder was deemed surplus to requirements by a nondescript Stoke City team who are finishing the season in mid-table…
Chelsea’s wonderful Under-18 season came to a disappointing close on Saturday morning as a young team fell to a 3-0 defeat away to Blackburn. Daniel Butterworth’s first-half hat-trick proved their downfall as the demands of a hectic schedule took its toll on the group as a whole, but with many of the next generation earning important minutes and valuable experience, a number of positives can be taken away from the…
Chelsea finished up their home slate of fixtures for the Barclays Under-21 Premier League season with a narrow 1-0 defeat against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. The depleted Blues side looked, perhaps understandably, on their last legs at the end not just of a busy season but in the immediate aftermath of UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup successes, and struggled to get into what is their second match…
Chelsea and Everton shared the spoils in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League on Monday as they fought to a goalless draw at Aldershot’s EBB Stadium. A relatively sleepy affair throughout, neither side truly got going and despite a handful of half-chances, there was a lack of conviction throughout and a stalemate was an appropriate outcome. The Blues’ campaign will end with four matches in the space of ten days and,…
The closing weeks of the 2015-16 season are upon us and several Chelsea loanees have plenty yet to play for. Chief amongst them and grabbing the headlines again this week is Marco van Ginkel. Headliners PSV’s battle to retain their Eredivisie title will go down to the last day of the season as they beat Cambuur 6-2 on Sunday to stay level with Ajax on 81 points, trailing the Amsterdam…
League duty called for Chelsea’s Under-18s on Friday night as, less than two days after they won a third consecutive FA Youth Cup title, they hosted Liverpool at Aldershot. A brace from Iké Ugbo either side of Liverpool goals from Adam Phillips and Brooks Lennon ensured a 2-2 final score and a deserved reward each for a pulsating game that swung back and forth and was up for grabs right…
First there was thunder, then lightning. There was a brief snow storm at a cup final in late April. But, when it was all said and done, Chelsea won their third consecutive FA Youth Cup title, their fifth in seven years, and their second over Manchester City in succession. Their remarkable run extended into completing back-to-back double doubles, having also retained their UEFA Youth League title in Switzerland last week,…