Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay has defended the fact that the club has so many players out on loan, a system that has received criticism because of a perception that the club has stock piled a ludicrous amount of talent that will never break into the first team, as reported by the Daily Mail.
There is a significant amount of young talent on Chelsea’s books, with 26 players having been sent out on loan by the club this season.
They have also loaned out the likes of Fernando Torres this summer, showing the extent to which they possess a series of players who would improve most other sides, who cannot get a look in at the club currently.
The successes of the system were seen this summer in the sale of Romelu Lukaku. The club made a significant profit on the Belgian international, with his loan spell at Everton last season proving his value, causing Roberto Martinez to sanction a £28 million move for the player.
Gourlay enthused about the system, saying: “What people don’t see is that it’s a massive development piece.
“I’ll give you two examples: [Kevin] De Bruyne and Lukaku.
“They were both bought as strong potential future players. We knew they had enough pedigree. Both players were very much in our plans.
“It didn’t work out and the opportunity arose to sell them. Best for the club and best for the players.”
