There’s been plenty of talk about our loan players, or more specifically, which one’s we can bring into the first team next season and you’d have to think Daniel Sturridge is top of the pile.
Sturridge has had seven goals in nine games for Bolton, the latest against Arsenal at the weekend, prompting a load of texts from his Chelsea team-mates congratulating him, so he’s probably got one foot back in the door already to be honest.
Of course, there’s plenty who’d say Sturridge has done well at Bolton because he’s ‘found his level’ and that he’s not actually good enough for Chelsea’s first team. I’d counter that by asking if he can manage to settle and perform the way he has done from the minute he got to Bolton, surely that’s because he’s played consistently? And if he can do it there, with all due respect to Bolton, surely he will do the same (if not better) with our players around him?
Borini is another one of our loan players who hasn’t exactly been goal-shy while he’s been away either but whilst with him, there seems to be plenty suggesting we should be bringing him back at the end of the season, I’m not quite as convinced. That’s not to say he isn’t a young player with potential – he is – but then as I was reminded recently, I thought the same about Franco di Santo once.
Carlo Ancelotti certainly rated him pretty highly back in the summer of 2009, fast-tracking him into first team contention for European games and cup matches but just a year later, Borini was turning down a contract offer and getting the cold shoulder as a result. So, with Borini a free agent at the end of this season, I guess the question is – is doing it at Swansea really justification enough to improve on the offer he turned down? Like I said, I’m not convinced.
Jeffrey Bruma, on the other hand, seems pretty keen on another loan spell rather than a return just yet. With Leicester since February, central defender Bruma has earned himself a regular first team place, scoring his first two goals for them from midfield against Watford – one a cracking 35 yarder – on Monday night. At 19 and with John Terry, David Luiz and Alex to compete with though, Bruma’s obviously realistic about his immediate chances of regular football at Chelsea and seems happy to bide his time.
So what exactly are Chelsea’s plans for these three?
Blue is the colour
