The 13 Chelsea players out on loan in 2024-25 & how they’ve been faring
Chelsea no longer farm out a small army to Vitesse Arnhem but their recent tradition of loaning out a great number continues with no fewer than 13 players out on loan in 2024-25.
It would be understating it to say that Chelsea have been active in the transfer market in the Todd Boehly era. They’ve made a great number of signings in recent seasons and it quickly became apparent that many of them would have no role to play in Enzo Maresca’s first-team squad this season.
We figured this would be a good opportunity to check in on how Chelsea’s 13 loanees are getting on so far this season.
Andrey Santos
The Brazil youth international had a great reputation when he signed for the Blues for a reported £13million fee back in January 2023.
His stock continued to rise after being loaned back to Vasco da Gama for the latter half of that season, but last term proved altogether more difficult as he struggled for minutes at Nottingham Forest.
Santos’ stint at the City Ground was inevitably cut short and he went on to enjoy more opportunities at BlueCo sister club Strasbourg. The Ligue 1 outfit sacked Patrick Vieira in the summer and have taken the 20-year-old on loan for another season.
He’s made a blinding start to the 2024-25 campaign, notching three goals in six appearances for a much-improved Strasbourg side that side comfortably in the top half after fighting relegation under Vieira last term.
Alfie Gilchrist
Homegrown prospect Gilchrist broke through to make a few appearances for the Blues under Mauricio Pochettino last term but has left for more regular minutes this season.
The 20-year-old right-back has gone to Sheffield United, replacing Jayden Bogle who left for their Championship promotion rivals Leeds.
So far he’s been a near ever-present in the backline for Chris Wilder’s Blades, who are keeping clean sheets for fun and are currently second, unbeaten in the second tier. Gilchrist is yet to score or assist but it’s been a very promising start from a defensive perspective.
Eddie Beach
Wales Under-21 international Beach joined Chelsea’s youth set-up from Southampton a couple of years back and has continued his development in a series of lower-league loans away.
A stint at Crawley Town has followed spells at Chelmsford City and Gateshead, but the young ‘keeper is yet to make his debut for the League Two outfit.
Caleb Wiley
We’re big fans of the American full-back, who impressed as one of the brightest lights in MLS at Atlanta United before signing for Chelsea this summer.
Like Santos, the teenage US international has been sent out to Strasbourg for experience in a major European league. He’s yet to make himself as indispensable as Santos for the Ligue 1 outfit, but he’s had a couple of starts and recently notched his first assist off the bench in a 4-3 ding-dong defeat to Lyon.
Aaron Anselmino
Like Santos, Anselmino is a highly-rated South American who bolsters their long-term options at the base of midfield.
The 19-year-old Argentinian only has a handful of senior appearances under his belt for boyhood club Boca Juniors but he looks immensely talented.
After officially signing in August, he’s been sent back to La Bombonera on a 12-month loan deal. Best place for him.
A hamstring injury saw him sidelined for a short period but he’s recently returned for a run of games at centre-back, including a run of three successive defeats. Boca are enduring an underwhelming midtable campaign.
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Lesley Ugochukwu
“I think he is understanding what we want, and what we require from him will continue to grow. So yeah, I thought he was good,” Southampton boss said of Ugochukwu following his league debut, a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United last month.
“He got a bit tired as well. He’d been injured for a while at Chelsea last season and then he came back and was knackered after 60 minutes against Cardiff [in the League Cup].
“Being away on international duty, although he didn’t play, being away is different, your routine, the way you train. He did well and he’s going to be really good.”
Since then the 20-year-old has featured in a League Cup victory away to Everton, a 1-1 draw and a 3-1 defeat to Bournemouth for the struggling Saints. It remains to be seen whether he’ll nail down a regular starting spot for the relegation battlers.
Bashir Humphreys
The Chelsea academy starlet was part of England’s Under-19 European Championship-winning squad a couple of years back, but he’s only made a couple of cup cameos for his parent club.
After eye-catching loans away to Paderborn and Swansea City, Humphreys has joined Burnley – who, like Gilchrist’s Sheffield United, have ambitions of bouncing straight back to the Premier League.
Just like Gilchrist, he’s helping keep regular clean sheets for Scott Parker’s Clarets, who haven’t conceded in each of his last four appearances – including an impressive 1-0 win away to Leeds, in which he was sent off for a second yellow in the dying minutes.
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Deadline day saw something of a goalkeeper merry-go-round, with Bournemouth signing Arrizabalaga to replace their club captain Neto, who himself went to Arsenal on loan for the role of David Raya’s back-up following Aaron Ramsdale’s move to Southampton.
Still the most expensive goalkeeper in history, Arrizabalaga hasn’t quite lived up to his reputation and found himself behind Andriy Lunin in the pecking order at Real Madrid last season after joining on loan following the serious injury suffered by ex-Blues ‘keeper Thibaut Courtois.
The Vitality isn’t quite as glamorous a destination as the Bernabeu, but Arrizabalaga’s style looks a natural fit for the kind of football the Cherries play under Andoni Iraola.
He awaits his first clean sheet for Bournemouth, with two wins and two defeats and eight goals conceded from his four outings thus far.
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Djordje Petrovic
After signing from MLS outfit New England Revolution, last season Petrovic slugged it out with Robert Sanchez for the spot between the sticks. He actually made more appearances in the Premier League but appears to have lost the battle and has been shipped out to Strasbourg alongside Santos and Wiley.
The Serbian has made four Ligue 1 appearances so far this season; three of them score draws, the other an impressive display in a 1-0 victory over Marseille in which he made three saves.
Raheem Sterling
A statement from Sterling’s ‘camp’ during Chelsea’s 2024-25 opening day defeat to Manchester City could probably be read as the death knell of Sterling’s Stamford Bridge future – despite his protestations to the contrary.
“He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard,” read a key passage.
“Given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend’s fixture in some capacity.”
A short-lived saga came to an end on deadline day, with Arsenal securing a last-minute deal to take the experienced winger on loan.
He’s yet to score or assist for Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing Gunners in the Premier League, although he got a goal and an assist in their League Cup mauling of Bolton.
It doesn’t appear all that likely that he’ll force his way into their regular starting XI – with another off-colour display in his first league start against Southampton – but he could yet prove a decent addition to their squad. Watch this space.
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Armando Broja
On the penultimate day of the transfer window, Broja’s move to newly promoted Ipswich Town broke down due to an injury.
That didn’t stop Everton moving for the 22-year-old Albania international, although the foot problem means he’s yet to make his bow for Sean Dyche’s side.
“It’s going well,” he told the club’s official website. “Hopefully, I can be back as quick as possible. I think I’m going in the right direction.
“I want to make sure I recover well and be as strong as I can, so I’m ready for the fans and my team-mates. I just can’t wait to be back, to put on the shirt and just enjoy it.”
It’s expected that Broja will be back to action soon.
Trevoh Chalobah
The fourth Chelsea player shipped out on loan on deadline day, Chalobah was another whereby it had seemingly been made clear all summer that he was not part of Maresca’s plans.
The Cobham graduate eventually moved on to Crystal Palace. After ending last season so strongly under Oliver Glasner, the Eagles have made a disastrous start to the 2024-25 campaign and are in the relegation zone, yet to win after seven matches.
Chalobah has only made one appearance to date; Palace’s last outing, a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Liverpool.
David Datro Fofana
Deadline day didn’t put a full stop to Chelsea’s outgoings, with the Turkish Super Lig window open until mid-September. The club used that to their advantage to ship out Ivorian forward Fofana to Goztepe.
He actually did quite well for Vincent Kompany’s Championship-bound Burnley in the latter half of last season, notching four goals in 15 Premier League appearances for the Clarets.
Fofana has only played 30 minutes of Super Lig football for Goztepe so far this season, but he’s already opened his account – in spectacular fashion, too, having come off the bench to score an injury-time winner in a 3-2 victory over Sivasspor in their last outing before the international break.