Opinion: Ruben Loftus-Cheek On The Way?

Chelsea have always had the reputation that their youngsters are some of the best in the world. For whatever reason, their youth set up is one of the best and this means that they win the FA Youth Cup more than most. They are not really team players. Instead, they tend to have a nucleus of very good, key players. Lewis Baker, Dom Solanke and Nathanial Chalobah to name just a few of their recent successes. But this doesn’t seem to translate into first team appearances. Therefore, there is an opportunity for these talents to go out on loan and it has been reported that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is being made available for loan. Click Here Birmingham mail sourced above, say that Zola is interested in bringing young talent to the club.

Now, as an avid follower of youth football, I must say that I don’t see Chelsea letting him go to a Championship club. When players such as Chambers from Arsenal and Ake from Chelsea have gone to Premier League clubs and gained a lot of experience playing at the highest level, to me it seems stupid for the likes of Loftus Cheek to not get a Premier League offer of a loan. Due to this, I think that it is possible that he won’t come to Birmingham City. But if he does, here is why I would be an advocate.

He has always looked stronger and taller than most of the boys in his year group which usually gives an unfair picture of how well players will adapt to first team football. Many players shine at youth level if they have developed quickly but then others catch up and you realise that these players have relied on this rather than trying to improve their skill. The only footballer that has really surprised me is Jesse Lingard for Manchester United who was small but still looked like a great player. With Ruben, I did think he may fade but actually he has worked hard to compete with men and this shows. His height can help by winning headers whilst also being a big obstacle to get past as he is predominantly a defensive midfielder.

He has the vision to spray passes all over the park which would be a player that Zola would want. However, with the current players, we prefer short passing because the movement just isn’t good enough so we need to bring in more forward players if we are to also sign Loftus-Cheek on loan. I have been impressed with his calmness on the ball and even when provoked, he stays cool. This is a great attribute to have especially in the Championship because there are teams that tend to leave a boot in.

Overall, we do need a player to bring a bit more vision to the side and someone who can add a bit of pace when going forward. Loftus-Cheek based on skill alone should be top of Zola’s list given the type of players he seems to like.