Southampton new favourites to sign Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek
By Rayna Sidhu
The young Chelsea midfielder has received a lot of attention as he looks to go out on loan. Southampton may beat previous favourites Newcastle and Brighton in signing him.
Loftus-Cheek has failed to solidify his place in the first team at Stamford Bridge. He only made six league appearances last season and didn’t seem to win the trust of new manager Antonio Conte.
As is often the case with younger players, they become restless from sitting on the bench or not being chosen and start to look elsewhere for more consistent playing time. It is understandable, and a loan will be the best thing for Loftus-Cheek.
He is only 21 and has always showed promising potential. But on the rare times he is given a chance, he is out of practise – his flaws are evident and need to be developed. Having the chance to play for another club would be ideal. Southampton may be the best choice out of the three.
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Although all three clubs are now Premier League sides, Newcastle and Brighton are newly promoted. They will want to solidify their place in the table from the outset and may not prioritise giving Loftus-Cheek the consistency he needs.
Southampton, on the other hand, are more practised in the League and can afford the rotation that will be necessary for his game-time.
Further, Southampton have a new manager in Mauricio Pellegrino, who may be more open to allocating Loftus-Cheek the time he needs in various tournaments.
Pellegrino will also be trying to find his feet and will want to assess all of his options. Ruben may not have as much of a chance as other players but he will begin his loan on more even ground.
Whichever club makes the deal with Chelsea, Loftus-Cheek will be grateful for some time away to develop and play. Chelsea’s loan system is one of the vastest in the League – last season, they had 31 players out. There are signs that he could fit into Conte’s vision, but it will not be in the near future.
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He clearly understands his place, and his relationship with the club is positive enough to know that a loan is what he needs right now.