Chelsea FC had an astonishing TWENTY-FIVE players out on loan during the 2012-13 season and several of them had stellar seasons with their respective teams. Nathaniel Chalobah fired Zola's Watford to the Championship play-off final, Lucas Piazon got a taste of Champions League football at Malaga, Romelu Lukaku scored 17 league goals for West Brom while Thibaut Courtois won the Copa del Rey with Atletico Madrid with an impressive performance in the final last weekend. So, as the season is ending, who do you think can stake a claim in the Chelsea first team in the near future? First-team Candidates 1. Kevin de Bruyne: The little Belgian christened "Prince Harry" upon his arrival at Chelsea had a brilliant season on loan at German side Werder Bremen. Although Bremen struggled for consistency, de Bruyne was one of the stars in their team and in my eyes, he was easily one of the best player in the Bundesliga outside the 2 big teams – Bayern and Dortmund. He has been ever-present in the Werder side making 33 appearances in the Bundesliga. He was used in a variety of positions during the season most often, lining up in a central position alongside Zltako Junuzovic – a defensive midfielder. He sees passes that others don't and he shows an ambition in his passing that only Mata can match at Chelsea. The picture below, although outdated now, shows the comparison of de Bruyne with our current midfielders upto March. Firstly, don't read too much into that because of the difference in the pace, style of play at Werder and Chelsea but one statistic stands out for me – his crossing accuracy. That is a big improvement from our current players even when taking into account the different challenges they face. de Bruyne’s ability to pick out a long pass or a through ball to unlock the defence highlights his playmaking ability. His pass-completion rate (76.2%) is something he needs to work on but do keep in mind that he's played on the wings at times this season. I think de Bruyne is ready for first-team football at the top level. Yes, he will have competition but he's shown his versatility at Werder and will definitely offer better depth for the Attacking Midfield position than Marko Marin 2. Romelu Lukaku – Another Belgian who’s had a storming season in the Premier League under former Blue Steve Clarke at West Bromwich Albion. Lukaku started the season with heavy competition for the Striker position at WBA with Shane Long, Peter Odemwingie and Markus Rosenborg in the club’s books. But it didn’t take long for the Belgian to ease into the side and by the end of the season, Lukaku’s stock had risen significantly enough to warrant a nomination in the Young Player of the Year category. Lukaku’s power and workrate were already good as Chelsea caught a glimpse of him in pre-season but his first touch and ball-control left a lot to be desired. Thankfully, those are aspects of the game that can be worked on and Lukaku has done just that in his season on loan. He is definitely ready to challenge for the Striker’s role at Chelsea even if the board decides to get another striker. Promising Prospects 3. Tomas Kalas – The Czech Republic young player of the year had another solid season helping Vitesse to a respectable 4th place in the Eredivise. He had a dip in form around Christmas and looked a bit jaded in some games but recovered towards the end of the season. The move to shift him to Right Back was strange given how well he had performed at CB. Either way, I would like to see him given an aggressive loan for next season. Hopefully the news that Steve Clarke wants to take him to the Hawthornes pans out because i. West Brom have a shortage of defenders and ii. Steve Clarke will be a good influence 4. Patrick van Aanholt – The best season of his career till date. Patrick van Aanholt bossed the left flank for Vitesse, defending well and bombing forward with intent. I will say he is a better athlete than current Chelsea backup Left-Back Ryan Bertrand but not necessarily a better defender. With Ashley Cole staying on for another year, another loan should see PvA develop into a credible challenger for the Left-Back spot. 5. Nathaniel Chalobah – Another youngster who has shined this season. Chalobah has been an important member of Watford’s promotion push this season. Chalobah has slotted into the rigours of the Championship effortlessly. His athleticism and mobility have helped and as the season has progressed, he has started getting forward often to help in attack. I think he’s the best midfield prospect we’ve got but now that Frank has signed an extension and with another midfielder imminent, Chalobah would benefit from another loan to a Premier League side 6. Josh McEachran – While not in the level of Nathaniel, Josh McEachran has quietly gone about this season to improve aspects of his game. Middlesbrough fans have hailed him for his ability to spot a pass and execute it and by all accounts, he had a good season up until Christmas after which Boro went into freefall. He was played on the flanks especially early in the season but the physical side of his game is not cut out for it. This season is certainly an improvement on last season after the disappointing Swansea loan but McEachran is still some way of making it at Chelsea. Another loan please, maybe Boro again or a Premier League team that will assure a first-team role 7. Thorgan Hazard – The after-thought in the Eden Hazard transfer saga, brother Thorgan has had a great season with Zulte Waregem in the Belgian League propelling them to 2nd place and Champions League qualifying spot. He is clearly more than good enough for the Belgian League but to trust him at Chelsea now will be a big leap of faith. A more aggressive loan, Vitesse perhaps. 8. Thibaut Courtois – Cech is in the way. A 3rd season at Madrid beckons 9. Kenneth Omeruo - Started the season at Right-Back but was then increasingly used at CB especially after his excellent performances in the African Cup of Nations. There are reports of Kenneth being included for the pre-season tour to Asia but another loan is on the cards. Deadwood 1. Michael Essien – Age has caught up with Michael Essien and although he’s been okay at Real Madrid, his best performances have come at Right-Back rather than central midfield. Time to cut our losses with him 2. Sam Hutchinson – Injuries have crippled him all career and he is just there to add to the numbers at Chelsea. 3. Jeffrey Bruma – Hamburg have declined the option of keeping Jeffrey Bruma and that speaks volumes of his current situation. Sell him while we can 4. Gael Kakuta - Enjoyed possibly his best season to date but with the Mata, Oscar and de Bruyne, he simply doesn't have a way through credit:whoscored.com
