Loan army! How Chelsea & Sarri decide who says and who goes

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham could still be set for loan moves ahead of a variety of European transfers windows closing on August 31, as Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has recently admitted that he still feels his squad is too big.

The Blues have over 30 players on loan already and they have used their innovative loan system to help them to save and make money during an era in which transfer fees have sky-rocketed.

Chelsea are experts in scouting, both at home and overseas, resulting in the club attracting some of the world's most exciting youngsters to their top-class facilities at Cobham Training Centre, another contributing factor in their remarkable success in youth competitions in recent years.

The Under-18s made history by pulling off an unprecedented quadruple, while the Blues also claimed a fifth successive FA Youth Cup last season, matching a record set by Manchester United’s ‘Busby Babes’ of the 1960s.

Given the depth of talent at Chelsea, temporary moves have become an essential part of the club's overall strategy, with the Londoners' academy churning out talented teenagers on an annual basis, and more than 50 players vying for 25 spots in the senior squad.

So, while many members of the loan army don't make the grade at Stamford Bridge, their value generally increases year-on-year as they earn more and more experience at clubs across the world.

Furthermore, there are some notable success stories, like Andreas Christensen and Victor Moses, both of whom have now become key players in the senior squad, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek ended up in the England squad for the 2018 World Cup after impressing during a loan stay at Crystal Palace last season.

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Sarri will have his say on what happens with the highest-value loan stars, with players such as Loftus-Cheek and Abraham having already been evaluated by the Italian during Chelsea's pre-season programme and the opening weeks of the new Premier League season.

However, Chelsea generally don’t loan players until they reach the age of at least 19, while they have an entire loan department dedicated to deciding upon the right loan move at the right time for the right player.

It helps that the loan team is home to a number of ex-professionals, with former Blues Eddie Newton and Paulo Ferreira running the show, and Tore Andre Flo also operating as one of the mentors.

The loan department also boasts a dedicated psychologist, who ensures that the loanees always have access to the kind of the mental support they may need to cope with moving abroad or dropping down a few levels to gain first-team experience.

Clubs that sign any of the loanees will also be asked to meet with Chelsea coaches from time-to-time to provide updates, while the player receives feedback from not only his current club, but also from Cobham Training Ground and the analysts who study their performances.

Jeremie Boga has been farmed out by Chelsea three times already and he explained to Goal just how closely the loanees are monitored by their parent club.

" I was always in contact with them every two months, but sometimes at random," Boga told Goal. "I think that they were a bit concerned at one moment with my game time around December but I started playing again so I just kept in contact.

"They gave me feedback on how I play in every game, so they kept a close eye on me."

The loan system was the brainchild of former technical director Michael Emenalo, who was highly regarded in west London, as underlined by the amount of tributes that poured in when he left the club for Monaco last season.

However, Chelsea's use of the loan system has been criticised within certain quarters. Ethical questions have been raised over the stockpiling of talent, which gives Chelsea another competitive advantage over smaller clubs.

As far as the Blues are concerned, they are breaking no rules and the lucrative transfer fees they receive from selling players after successful loan spells has helped the club become more self-sufficient economically.

The critics claim that the practice only makes it more difficult for youngsters to break into the senior squad, given the sheer volume of players on the club's books, but Chelsea feel that the players are benefiting from the loan system, arguing that they wouldn't remain bound to Stamford Bridge if they weren't improving.

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"We look after these players," loan coach Flo stated. "We make sure that they get the best possible help. I think that most of them benefit from that, instead of going to another club.

"Obviously, when they are not ready, they go to a lower team, maybe even a division down. But we help them with their game, tell them what they have to improve upon, what they are doing well and each individual have a really good follow-up.

"I think they benefit from that but we also need to make them aware that to break into Chelsea’s first team is an extremely difficult thing to do. All of them want to be the best player they can possibly be and we think that being a Chelsea loan player can help them to do that."

Goal