Ruben Loftus-Cheek

[Jype 6,398]

41 minutes ago, LAM09 said:

8 hours ago, Strike said:

Has to go backwards and rebuild I think. Can't do that being on the bench at Chelsea

He's going to a side that's probable to go down. Playing for a side that could potentially be whipping boys isn't exactly beneficial.

At the moment the absolute most important thing for RLC is to just play regular 90 minute games. It shouldn't matter whether his team wins or loses, for him it's all about getting back his match sharpness.

Sure he could have gone to a lower league and play at a team that dominates games but if the main problem for him since his injury has been handling with the intensity of EPL football then playing at a lower level league is not exactly going to be beneficial for him either? And if the other alternative is to go and play EPL football for a team where he rarely starts then he might as well have stayed.

And who knows maybe playing for a team like Fulham who are on the receiving end most games might actually help with the defensive side of his play and also improve his work-rate off the ball, which has been one of Ruben's main deficiencies.

I see this as a great move for the player himself. It also helps that Fulham is so close to Chelsea that he can still easily keep regular contact with the squad & management at the club during his loan.

[NikkiCFC 7,950]

1 hour ago, LAM09 said:

10 hours ago, Strike said:

Has to go backwards and rebuild I think. Can't do that being on the bench at Chelsea

 

He's going to a side that's probable to go down. Playing for a side that could potentially be whipping boys isn't exactly beneficial.

But looking from our perspective it is fine if he does well in Fulham and scores 7, 8 PL goals and we sell him next summer for 25-30m... This is still great for us. He does not have to have future here.

We already have Kai, Mount, Billy, Gallagher...

[Strike 7,217]

14 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

But looking from our perspective it is fine if he does well in Fulham and scores 7, 8 PL goals and we sell him next summer for 25-30m... This is still great for us. He does not have to have future here.

We already have Kai, Mount, Billy, Gallagher...

Just based on how good Ruben was before the injury, I wouldn't rule out him coming good at Chelsea yet. His size and athleticism makes him stand out from the others you mentioned

[OneMoSalah 8,777]

4 hours ago, Strike said:

Just based on how good Ruben was before the injury, I wouldn't rule out him coming good at Chelsea yet. His size and athleticism makes him stand out from the others you mentioned

All well and good saying he has size and athleticism but he has clearly regressed since his injury. Mount wont be going anywhere and Havertz is going to be number 1 option in that more advanced midfield role. Look at Ross, has all that things too, size, athleticism but is too inconsistent and lacks the spark he had before his injury trouble. Ruben looks the same. More to football than size and athleticism. He has to do something truly amazing to have a chance of coning back next year. Hes 24 now not a kid. 25 in January. Times running out so he doesnt have the luxury of having a mediocre season and coming back to fight for his place in my eyes.

[Jype 6,398]

27 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

All well and good saying he has size and athleticism but he has clearly regressed since his injury. Mount wont be going anywhere and Havertz is going to be number 1 option in that more advanced midfield role. Look at Ross, has all that things too, size, athleticism but is too inconsistent and lacks the spark he had before his injury trouble. Ruben looks the same. More to football than size and athleticism. He has to do something truly amazing to have a chance of coning back next year. Hes 24 now not a kid. 25 in January. Times running out so he doesnt have the luxury of having a mediocre season and coming back to fight for his place in my eyes.

Sure he's not young anymore and the injuries (even before the long term achilles problem) may have ruined a good amount of whatever potential he might have had when he was younger but if he can get some of his sharpness back I think he could still be a great asset even as a squad player / impact sub.

I've always thought of RLC as a luxury player. His work rate, the back injuries etc. meant he was always unlikely to ever become a reliable key player in a title challenging squad and the achilles injury made things even more complicated for him but I still believe he can play a part, even if it's not as a starter. But that largely depends on whether he can recover some form and even then the player himself might not be happy with just a squad role and prefer to seek a more permanent future elsewhere. 

But for now he should focus on getting back to a level as good as possible at Fulham and then we'll see next year whether he can still return or not. I'll try to keep a close eye on Fulham whenever RLC plays to see how he does.

[OhForAGreavsie 5,892]

On 05/10/2020 at 10:12 PM, LAM09 said:

On 05/10/2020 at 10:04 PM, Magic Lamps said:

He is leaving in installments. We won’t find a buyer for him given his wages. No idea how the board can be so stupid to give players such big contracts completely needlessly

I presume they expected him to kick on, but that extremely questionable friendly really messed him up.

No it didn't it just provided an excuse. Ruben is the same player he was beforehand.

[Vesper 28,802]

Win-win-win: Loftus-Cheek’s loan move to Fulham explained

https://theathletic.com/2124161/2020/10/10/fulham-loftus-cheek-chelsea/

For Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the aim of his move to Fulham is simple. To play games, prove his fitness and confirm he’s over an achilles injury that kept him out of action for the best part of a year. He wants this loan spell to have a similar impact to the one at Crystal Palace that catapulted him into England’s 2018 World Cup squad. Fulham, in their bid for survival, are desperately hoping for that too.

Loftus-Cheek’s move across west London is motivated by a desire to gain minutes regularly and force his way back into Gareth Southgate’s thinking. He ruptured his achilles tendon in May 2019 during Chelsea’s “Say No to Anti-Semitism” friendly against New England Revolution, an injury that left him sidelined for 13 months and meant he missed the team’s Europa League final win over Arsenal. It also marked a disappointing end to what had been his best season to date; he scored 10 goals in all competitions for Chelsea. Before that season, he had scored four goals in his entire professional career.

Southgate said this week the midfielder could force his way into the England squad if he can play regularly and return to form, which should encourage Loftus-Cheek.

“That’s definitely an aim of mine, to get into contention for the squad,” Loftus-Cheek said after signing for Fulham. “After a year out, it was difficult getting back fit. But now the challenge is to find my form and play my best football again. Under Scott Parker, I’ve got a good chance to do that.”

For Fulham, the arrival of Loftus-Cheek on deadline day was a major boost, with vice-chairman and director of football operations Tony Khan hailing the midfielder as a “world-class” addition to the squad. It was not a transfer that was long-planned, though. Indeed, Loftus-Cheek intended to stay and fight for his place at Chelsea.

Before the 2020-21 season, Loftus-Cheek felt he had as strong a pre-season as anyone else, having been fully fit for four months. What he needed was to improve his match sharpness, as he did not get a run of starts under his belt following the Premier League restart in June.

He started the opening game of this season against Brighton & Hove Albion, but by his own admission, he played poorly. The midfielder didn’t play in what is probably his best position — as a driving midfielder in a No 8 role — featuring as a No 10 against Brighton instead, reprising the role he played against Aston Villa following the Premier League restart. Playing as a No 10 means you often have your back to goal, whereas Loftus-Cheek is at his best when he is facing the play.

Ideally, when coming back from injury, a player would want to feel be as comfortable on the pitch as possible in a more familiar role, although Loftus-Cheek knows and accepts that he underperformed. It’s also probably fair to say he was overthinking things on the pitch and is evidently still feeling his way back.

Brighton was Loftus-Cheek’s only appearance for Chelsea this season, with the midfielder not involved in any squads after that. That surprised him. To be suddenly dropped from the match-day squads was a shock and knocked his confidence. He did speak with manager Frank Lampard on a couple of occasions, but only after the games for which he was omitted, rather than before.

Even after missing out on Chelsea’s 6-0 win over Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, however, Loftus-Cheek’s motivation was to fight for his place. Lampard made it clear he favoured a loan for him, so his public comments about the matter weren’t a shock.

“I’m very open with Ruben, we’ve had a couple of conversations in the last week,” Lampard said in September. “He’s fit as a fiddle, so he can play week in, week out. He needs to play. He’s done a lot of work now.

“He would have been playing earlier if it wasn’t for lockdown. There’s a possibility that Ruben may go out to play games. That would be great for him. We hold him in very high regard.”

It’s not an easy squad to manage for Lampard at present. His team is now bursting with talent after more than £220 million was spent in the transfer market. Guaranteeing game time is impossible and Loftus-Cheek appreciates the challenge his manager faces. For his own ambitions, he needed to play.

“It was win-win, regarding playing football,” Loftus-Cheek said after signing for Fulham. “I’ve always been a player with ambition. I don’t just want to be at a big club and sit on the bench. I want to play football and help the team I’m playing for and be playing my best football. Hopefully, this move will bring out the best of me.”

Given the intense squad competition at Chelsea, Loftus-Cheek was not the only one to depart on loan, with Ross Barkley joining Aston Villa. Villa were interested in Loftus-Cheek and it’s suspected that they faced a toss-up between loaning the 24-year-old or Barkley. Barkley’s greater involvement with Chelsea may have swayed Villa’s decision, as he was ready to come in and play immediately, as reflected by his display in the club’s shock 7-2 victory over Liverpool last weekend.

Fulham, meanwhile, had initially been looking at a loan move for Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori. The club’s priority on deadline day was undoubtedly in defensive areas. Centre-half was a position the club had earmarked to strengthen early on but anxiety had grown as the club struggled to bring in a new face. They were linked with countless players, but the issue was compounded by their visible defensive frailties in the league. Fulham conceded 10 goals in their first three matches of the campaign, with Parker making changes in his defence for each game.

After a late move for PSV defender Timo Baumgartl collapsed, Fulham were able to secure favourable deals for Joachim Andersen, who arrived from Lyon on loan for less than £1 million, and Manchester City’s Tosin Adarabioyo, who was signed on a permanent deal for an initial fee of just £1.5 million.

Premier League rules stipulate that you can only loan one player from another top-flight club, therefore once it became clear that a move for Tomori would not be possible for Fulham, they were able to switch their attentions to Loftus-Cheek after learning of the player’s availability. There were considerable obstacles that worked against a move, not least his wages, which are thought to be £150,000 per week.

But once it was clear he was available, Fulham sensed an opportunity. Khan, who leads the club’s recruitment, was a keen admirer, a sentiment furthered by the fact that the player scored superbly on the metrics Khan uses for player identification. Loftus-Cheek’s appeal was rooted in his link-up play and box-to-box style, which made him a standout player. There is hope at Craven Cottage that if they get Loftus-Cheek up to his highest performance levels, he can link up effectively with Aleksandar Mitrovic as part of a formidable attack.

It is understood lengthy negotiations were required to settle on the player’s wage subsidy and fee ahead of the deal, which was not announced until past midnight. Loftus-Cheek spoke to Parker about his role in the team, and the midfielder spoke later about the appeal of Fulham’s playing style.

Fulham now have a well-stocked midfield, with fellow summer signings Mario Lemina and Harrison Reed already improving an area of the team that includes Tom Cairney, Josh Onomah, Stefan Johansen, Kevin McDonald and the returning pair of Frank Anguissa and Jean Michael Seri. Fulham are understood to be open to offers for Norway international Johansen and McDonald has been told he can leave the club on a free transfer even though he has one year left on his contract. It’s understood the club don’t want to stand in his way of playing football after his years of service.

That still leaves several options for three positions, including Loftus-Cheek. Parker is known to prefer using a 4-5-1 with three central midfielders, although this season he has used what looks like a 5-2-3, but is nominally a 5-4-1 with two in the middle. When deploying three midfielders, Parker alternates between one or two pivots, with at least one player seeking to pass or dribble the ball through the lines. With that in mind, Loftus-Cheek, who is versatile but seems best suited to a No 8 role as a box-to-box midfielder, should comfortably fit into his system.

Parker is thought to be delighted with Loftus-Cheek’s arrival and, following their other late additions, Fulham now feel they have a strong squad. In recruiting a player of Loftus-Cheek’s calibre, they added glamour to a highly successful deadline day — one in which Tony Khan made good on his promises to recruit in key areas, while doing so by securing financially prudent deals. Chelsea’s loan compromise means one of their most highly regarded academy graduates is now poised to gain considerable minutes this season.

And for Loftus-Cheek, he has the chance to remind everyone what he can do, prove he has put his injury behind him and make a late play for an England return. For all parties, it looks like a win-win-win.

[Blue Armour 4,279]

Played well today, came on as a sub when Everton were leading 3-1 and almost dragged Fulham back into the game.

Won the penalty which Fulham couldn't convert, and then later nabbed a goal for himself. Wish he went on loan to a slightly better side, but at least this way he is guaranteed to get game time.

The 4-3-3 formation we play now, is actually well suited to his strengths. Still like to think there is a place for him when he returns.

 

 

[Vesper 28,802]

Loftus-Cheek’s cameo shows Parker he can be better than the bench

https://theathletic.com/2214196/2020/11/23/loftus-cheek-fulham/

A game of two halves, or “chalk and cheese”, as Scott Parker put it afterwards. For 45 minutes, Fulham put Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton under the cosh, pinning them back into their half and asking questions with probing passes and off-the-ball movement. It only happened, though, once the game was all but lost.

Parker took particular issue with the first half. He’s spoken about individual errors and the learning process before but here, he was critical of the team’s application. Yes, there were bright spells on the ball, and the hosts were a joy to watch when in full possessional swagger. But they were outplayed for the majority of the first period, with Fulham losing the midfield battle. For all of the positives that came after the interval, it was that which warranted his initial attention.

“At times we showed a real way about us,” said Parker. “I thought we had courage, we were brave in possession. At times we caused them many problems. But you can’t lose them little duels, the 50-50s, the second balls. The basics of a football match. You can’t fall short on them consistently. In the first half, consistently we fell a little bit short on that.”

The numbers certainly support Parker’s assessment. Fulham were second best to Everton in the opening 45 minutes, winning just 33.3 per cent of their duels, a figure that rose notably in the second half to 48.7 per cent. To put that into context, Fulham’s previous lowest duel success rate for a half of Premier League football this season was 45.1 per cent, during the second half against Aston Villa in September.

There was also a tactical element to the game too. Fulham have previously combatted teams who line up with a back three by using a back five out of possession, which worked effectively against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United. At Craven Cottage, Ancelotti surprised the hosts with an unexpected set-up that saw Alex Iwobi and Lucas Digne deployed at wing-back. Both enjoyed total freedom in the first half, and the overloads they created helped establish a comfortable advantage, one that could easily have seen a greater scoreline than just 3-1.

But there was a notable uplift in the second half, partly helped by Everton’s lack of incentive to take the game to Fulham, which helped quell the threat of those rampaging wing-backs. There was also no getting away from the impact of Fulham’s substitutes too, namely Aleksandar Mitrovic, Frank Anguissa and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

The latter duo transformed Fulham’s midfield, which is perhaps unsurprising considering Anguissa’s form this year. He missed out on a start after a returning late to Motspur Park, having travelled to Cameroon and Mozambique for Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers home and away. But he came on here and made more tackles than any of his team-mates in just 21 minutes, winning five of his 11 duels too.

His influence on this Fulham cannot be overstated enough, but Loftus-Cheek’s impact felt more poignant. He too added control to midfield, winning the highest percentage of duels of any of Fulham’s midfielders, 62.5 per cent.

The 24-year-old’s loan spell hasn’t started in the way in which he would have wanted. There was much excitement about his arrival, with his loan deal regarded as a coup for the club. Many at Chelsea had hoped he would have an impact at Stamford Bridge this season — despite falling down the pecking order, he remains highly regarded by Frank Lampard.

But he hasn’t hit the ground running. His first start came at Sheffield United, where he was played as an attacking midfielder, reverting to a right winger without the ball. Against Crystal Palace, he was even more marginalised on the right. In both games, he had a limited impact.

Thereafter Loftus-Cheek has been confined to the bench. Everton marked the third consecutive game in which Loftus-Cheek has not made the first XI, which naturally raised eyebrows. But on Sunday, Loftus-Cheek came on and changed the game for Fulham, bringing composure to midfield with 20 successful passes out of 21 (18 of which were in the attacking half of the pitch), as well as chipping in with a goal to pull Fulham back into the contest. Parker was impressed.

“I thought he was brilliant,” Parker said. “We’ve worked really hard with Ruben in terms of the information we’re trying to give him, how he can have a big impact this year on the pitch.

“Sometimes I feel it’s as if Ruben has a tendency for games to drift him by, and today was everything that we spoke about with him. He came on and made a real difference. He looked every bit of a top, top player. He got the ball, he was brave, scored a goal in the box and was dynamic, getting in between the lines and confident. It’s understanding that he’s got real ability, and he’ll be big for us this year. He needs to keep working on that, keep listening to what we’re saying to him. No doubt he’ll keep improving like we saw today.”

Finding where Loftus-Cheek fits into this Fulham team has become something of an unknown since his arrival. He feels his best position is as a driving No 8, with space in front of him when he has the ball. In Parker’s current preferred set-up, that would suggest he would be competing with Anguissa, who has been the primary incumbent of that dynamic role next to the more defensive No 6 and creative No 10.

Dislodging Anguissa would be no mean feat, but the fact he too was omitted on Sunday, with Mario Lemina starting instead, made Loftus-Cheek’s absence all the more intriguing. The England international ultimately came on to replace Tom Cairney, who has been in exceptional form and was so again against Everton, proving to be the hosts’ main creative force in the first half. However, he has been playing in the role closest resembling a traditional No 10, and Loftus-Cheek seemed to slip into that role (albeit, slightly deeper) upon entering the field.

Parker has previously said he sees Loftus-Cheek becoming a “focal point” for the team in central positions. But the reason for his absences has been less to do with positional competition, and more to do with getting him up to speed.

When asked by The Athletic whether working on different elements in his game is the reason behind Loftus-Cheek’s restricted game time, Parker replied: “It probably has, yes, to be honest with you. He played the first couple of games and over the course of the last couple of weeks, we took him out to give him some air, spend a lot of time with him, for him to understand what I want from him, for this team but more importantly what Ruben needs to do for himself — to show the quality he has and how good he can be. Talent, potential, sure, but he needs to keep grasping it.

“As I said, I thought today he showed that. He came on and made a real difference. Everything we spoke about in terms of committing to performances, committing to games, making the difference — be that one that can be really brave in certain moments. Drive on the ball and make things happen. He was all of that today.”

Loftus-Cheek’s cameo against Everton was certainly his best performance in a Fulham shirt. If he can maintain that standard, then it won’t be long before he returns to Parker’s starting line-up.

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

Good cameo or not. RLC sadly is done and dusted as an elite footballer. I just hope he finds his luck at some club that is his level now

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

Fulham fans don’t even want to sign him permanently. 23 appearances, 1 goal and 0 assists. 
 

Think he’s finished. 

[killer1257 3,282]

According to Scott Parker, he is playing very good

[NikkiCFC 7,950]

15 minutes ago, killer1257 said:

According to Scott Parker, he is playing very good

Fulham is playing very well. Just 3 losses in last 15 or 16 games. Amazing result for them. Newcastle, Brighton, Burnley are in real danger.

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

Some comments from Fulham fans recently:

 

"Scott Parker seems to like him and believes in him, but I haven't seen anything that makes him stand out as being that good. I can count on one hand the number of decent performances he has had for Fulham. Doesn't create or score goals, has missed numerous chances in front of goal. i was expecting after the praise he got from Palace fans and performances for England U23 to be a lot better than he has been. At present out of our loan signings he is probably one that I would not try to sign permanently."

 

"There’s a player in there tbf but he’s been too inconsistent and let games drift by him too often for my liking personally." 

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

I think he could be a hit in Italy or Bundesliga but he doesn't strike me as someone who would like to go abroad. Also no midtable club south of the channel can afford his wages and he clearly will not cut it at the very top.

Really interesting how in the past two years our standout performers in the later stages of the respective seasons, RLC and Pulisi , completely dropped off after an injury sustained in the closing weeks and have been absolutely pants since. 

[King Kante 1,476]

56 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

Some comments from Fulham fans recently:

 

"Scott Parker seems to like him and believes in him, but I haven't seen anything that makes him stand out as being that good. I can count on one hand the number of decent performances he has had for Fulham. Doesn't create or score goals, has missed numerous chances in front of goal. i was expecting after the praise he got from Palace fans and performances for England U23 to be a lot better than he has been. At present out of our loan signings he is probably one that I would not try to sign permanently."

 

"There’s a player in there tbf but he’s been too inconsistent and let games drift by him too often for my liking personally." 

Funny thing is, this is what I and a lot of other people were saying about him for years but people weren't having it. 

[MoroccanBlue 5,297]

3 minutes ago, King Kante said:

Funny thing is, this is what I and a lot of other people were saying about him for years but people weren't having it. 

Agreed. He was slowly suffering the Oscar syndrome. People backed Oscar's poor performances and inconsistencies on his brace against Juventus. Similar to Ruben with his performance against City in the EFL Cup final and goals against mid table/Europa league standard clubs in 2019. 

He lacks that mental grit and aggressiveness you want in a player. 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

I reckon he's gone this summer.

Edited April 18, 2021 by Blues Forever