Made in Chelsea... or Vitesse? A look at the Blues' 26 loan stars

Hasan Shah 11:05 26/08/2015
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  • Chelsea have 26 players out on loan.

    With competition for spots in the squad of Premier League champions Chelsea understandably fierce, Jose Mourinho has opted to send out a number of players out on loan so they don't just kill time on the bench or in the reserves.  

    Ranging from precocious talents still honing their skills to expensive signings who have failed to impress, the Blues currently have a remarkable 26 PLAYERS out on loan. 

    Meet Chelsea's loan stars…

    CHRISTIAN ATSU (Bournemouth)

    Age: 23

    Position: Winger
    Nationality: Ghanaian

    Signing for Chelsea on deadline day in 2013, the Ghana international has been out on loan since: Vitesse, Everton and now Bournemouth all giving him game time. 

    LEWIS BAKER (Vitesse Arnhem)

    Age: 20
    Position: Central midfield
    Nationality: English

    One of Chelsea's many loanees at their Dutch feeder club, Baker joined the Blues as a nine-year old in 2005, and is still hoping to make it with the English champions. Jose Mourinho once said of him: "My conscience tells me that if Baker is not a national team player in a few years, I should blame myself."

    IZZY BROWN  (Vitesse Arnhem)

    Age: 18
    Position: Forward
    Nationality: English

    Another to join the Chelsea-to-Vitesse list of loanees, the striker – who made his first-team debut against former club West Brom last season – joined the Dutch club in July 2015.

    Nathan (VITESSE)

    Age: 19
    Position: Winger
    Nationality: Brazilian

    And another! Young Brazilian Nathan – signed from Atletico Paraneense last summer for a fee of around £4.5 million (Dh26m) – is believed to have been sent to Vitesse in order to help him gain a work permit. 

    MARCO VAN GINKEL (Stoke City)

    Age: 22
    Position: Central midfield
    Nationality: Dutch

    Chelsea poached Van Ginkel from Vitesse in 2013, where he had gained three years of first-team football under his belt, but injuries have hampered his progess. He was on loan at Milan last season and is now looking to make his mark with Stoke.

    VICTORIEN ANGBAN (Sint Truidense)

    Age: 18
    Position: Central midfield
    Nationality: Ivorian

    Officially signed for Chelsea in 2015 after getting a work permit, the Ivory Coast Under-20 international is with Belgian Pro League side Sint-Truidense.

    STIPE PERICA

    Age: 20
    Position: Striker
    Nationality: Croatian

    Yet to make a first-team appearance since arriving from Zadar in 2013, Perica spent two seasons at NAC Breda and has been with Serie A side Udinese since January 2015. He has been capped by Croatia at U19, U20 and U21 level.

    MARIO PASALIC (Monaco)

    Age: 20
    Position: Central midfield
    Nationality: Croatian

    German-born Pasalic moved from Hadjuk Split in July 2014 having narrowly missed out on a spot in Croatia's World Cup squad. Impressed on loan at Elche last season and is now at Monaco as part of the agreement that brought Radamel Falcao to Stamford Bridge.

    ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN (Borussia Monchengladbach)

    Age: 19
    Position: Centre-back
    Nationality: Danish

    A product of the Brondby academy that produced the Laudrup brothers, Christensen signed for Chelsea on a free transfer in 2012 towards the end of Andre Villas-Boas' reign. He made his Premier League debut in May 2015 and has been loaned out to Borussia Monchengladbach in a bid to give him more first-team football. 

    TOMAS KALAS (Middlesbrough)

    Age: 22
    Position: Centre-back
    Nationality: Czech

    Kalas famously made his Premier League debut in the 2-0 victory at Anfield that cost Liverpool the Premier League title in April 2014. He has been at Stamford Bridge for five years and a return to Middlesborough – who he nearly helped back into the top-flight last season – is his fifth loan move in that time.

    PATRICK BAMFORD (Crystal Palace)

    Age: 21
    Position: Striker
    Nationality: English

    Bamford scored 17 goals last season and was named the Championship Player of the Year while out on loan at Middlesbrough. It was not enough for Mourinho to give him a chance this season, though the England U21 international has stepped up to the Premier League with a loan move to Crystal Palace. 

    JORDAN HOUGHTON (Gillingham)

    Age: 19
    Position: Central midfield
    Nationality: English

    Houghton was captain of Chelsea's Under-21 side last season and has been at the club since Under-8 level. He has moved to Gillingham on loan for the 2015-16 season and made his professional debut in August. 

    DANILO PANTIC (Vitesse)

    Age: 18
    Position: Central midfielder
    Nationality: Serbian

    Pantic made his debut for Partizan Belgrade at the age of 16 and had been attracting the attention of Juventus until Chelsea swooped in this summer. He was immediately sent on loan to, you guessed it, Vitesse where made his debut against Southampton in the Europa League. 

    KENNETH OMERUO (Kasimpasa) 

    Age: 21
    Position: Centre-back
    Nationality: Nigerian

    A product of the Standard Liege academy, Chelsea signed Omeruo in 2012. Although he has yet to play a first-team game for Chelsea he remarkably has 28 international caps for Nigeria. After previous loan spells at Den Haag and Middlesbrough, Omeruo is now in Turkey with Kasimpasa. 

    WALLACE (Carpi)

    Age: 21
    Position: Full-back
    Nationality: Brazilian

    On loan at Vitesse last season and now with newly-promoted Italian side Carpi for a year, Wallace is yet to make a name for himself at the Bridge. The Italians have an option to buy the Brazilian full-back at the end of his loan spell.

    JOAO RODRIGUEZ (Sint-Truidense)

    Age: 19
    Position: Striker

    Rodriguez became the first Colombian to sign for Chelsea – Juan Cuadrado and Falcao later following in his footsteps – when he joined the Blues in 2013. Has had SIX loan moves in just two years – Deportes Quindio, Uniautonoma, Bastia, Bastia II, Vitoria and now Sint Truidense alongside Victorien Angban.

    ULISES DAVILA (Vitoria Setubal)

    Age: 24
    Position: Forward
    Nationality: Mexican

    Davila is yet to get a work permit, which is why he has been loaned out five times since arriving from hometown club Guadalajara in 2011. His five-year contract expires at the end of this season, with his last chance to prove himself coming at Vitoria Setubal, the club at which Jose Mourinho's father once played. 

    DOMINIC SOLANKE (Vitesse)

    Age: 17
    Position: Striker
    Nationality: English

    At only 17, Solanke is the youngest of the loanees at Vitesse but is unquestionably one of Chelsea's most precocios talents. Won the Golden Boot at the 2014 European Under-17 Championship as England triumphed and scored a monstrous 40 goals in all competitions for Chelsea at youth level last season. 

    MATEJ DELAC (FK Sarajevo)

    Age: 22
    Position: Goalkeeper
    Nationality: Croatian

    Delac broke into the first-team of Croatian side Inter Zapresic at the age of just 17 and Chelsea announced his signing at the end of his first season. The goalkeeper, now 23, is on his eighth loan spell and second with Bosnian side FK Sarajevo. 

    TODD KANE (NEC)

    Age: 21
    Position: Right-back
    Nationality: English

    Kane joined Chelsea at under-8 level and has since progressed through the youth ranks at the club. Currently on loan at NEC (not Vitesse!) in the Netherlands, having already had spells at Preston, Blackburn, Birstol City and Nottingham Forest. 

    MOHAMED SALAH (Roma)

    Age: 23
    Position: Winger
    Nationality: Egyptian 

    The Egyptian arrived to much fanfare from FC Basel in January 2014 after some electrifying Champions League performances for the Swiss side, but struggled to make it into the first-team reckoning under Mourinho. Was one of Serie A's standout performers while on loan at Fiorentina last season and will be back in Italy with Roma this time around. 

    ALEX DAVEY (Peterborough United)

    Age: 20
    Position: Centre-back
    Nationality: Scottish

    Davey joined Chelsea at the age of 10 and was part of the club's FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2012. A Scotland U19 international, he played at Scunthorpe United last season and is back in League One with Peterborough United this time around. 

    NATHAN AKE (Watford)

    Age: 21
    Position: Midfielder
    Nationality: Dutch

    Bearing more than a passing resemblance to fellow Dutchman Ruud Gullit, Ake is one of Chelsea's most highly-rated prospects. Capped at every level for Netherlands from U15 to U21, he was on loan at Reading last season and signed for Watford for the coming campaign – shortly after signing a new five-year deal with Chelsea. 

    CRISTIAN CUEVAS (Sint-Truidense)

    Age: 20
    Position: Winger/Wing-back
    Nationality: Chilean

    Completing a trio of Blues playing for the Belgian Pro League club, Cuevas joined Chelsea in 2013 and has since been farmed out on loan to Vitesse, FC Eindhoven and back in his homeland with Universidad de Chile last season. He was named in Chile's squad for the 2015 South American Youth Championship. 

    MARKO MARIN (Trabzonspor) 

    Age: 26
    Position: Winger
    Nationality: German

    A Germany international with 16 caps to his name, Marin's career has taken a downturn since he swapped Werder Bremen for Chelsea in 2012. Sevilla, Fiorentina and Anderlecht have all taken him on loan and now he has moved to Turkey with Trabzonspor, who have an option to buy. 

    JUAN CUADRADO (Juventus)

    Age: 27
    Position: Winger
    Nationality: Colombian

    One of Serie A's most consistent performers with Fiorentina, Chelsea looked to have made an astute signing when they brought in the Colombian in January 2015. But his chances have been limited and the arrival of Pedro saw Cuadrado shipped back off to Italy to last season's losing Champions League finalists. 

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