Chelsea loan army: Which Blues players are out at other clubs & what is the transfer policy?

Nizaar Kinsella

Chelsea loan army: Which Blues players are out at other clubs & what is the transfer policy? image

Chelsea's controversial loan policy has divided people in football but it continues to reap dividends for the European champions.

Accused of stockpiling, the Blues continue to raise vast sums of money through player sales and have recently raised over £100 million ($136m) in the 2021-22 summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, a few stars like Mason Mount, Reece James and Andreas Christensen were able to make the breakthrough to the first team after learning their trade out on loan at smaller clubs. 

Here are the players hoping to do the same in the coming years...

Which Chelsea players are out on loan?

Player On loan at Position Contract
Jamie Cumming Gillingham Goalkeeper 31 May 2022
Nathan Baxter Hull City Goalkeeper 31 May 2022
Karlo Ziger Rudar Velenje Goalkeeper 22 May 2022
Levi Colwill Huddersfield Town Defender 31 May 2022
Ian Maatsen Coventry City Defender 30 June 2022
Juan Castillo Birmingham City Defender 30 June 2022
Ian Maatsen Coventry City Defender 30 June 2022
Jake Clarke-Salter Coventry City Defender 30 June 2022
Matt Miazga Alaves Defender 30 June 2022
Emerson Palmieri Lyon Defender 30 June 2022
Henry Lawrence Wimbledon Defender 31 May 2022
Baba Rahman Reading Defender 30 June 2022
Dujon Sterling Blackpool Defender 31 May 2022
Ethan Ampadu Venezia Defender 30 June 2022
Billy Gilmour Norwich City Midfielder 30 June 2022
Conor Gallagher Crystal Palace Midfielder 30 June 2022
Danny Drinkwater Reading Midfielder 30 June 2022
Tiemoue Bakayoko AC Milan Midfielder 30 June 2023
Kenedy Flamengo Winger 30 June 2022
Armando Broja Southampton Striker 30 June 2022
Michy Batshuayi Besiktas Striker 30 June 2022
Thierno Ballo Rapid Vienna Striker 30 June 2022

What is Chelsea's loan policy?

Former technical director Michael Emenalo is the brainchild of what outsiders have dubbed the 'loan army', with the club typically having between 30 to 40 players moving on a temporary basis for various different reasons.

Firstly, with the hiring and firing of managers having been quite frequent since Roman Abramovich bought the club, first-team players can quickly find themselves surplus to requirements when a new manager arrives.

If Chelsea can't sell players that don't fit the new manager's system, a loan can be the answer.

Secondly, there are players that Chelsea see as financial opportunities, often loaning individuals out for several seasons to sell on for a profit.

One such example is Papy Djilobodji, who played only one minute for Chelsea but was sold for £8m ($11m) to Sunderland – a £5m profit on the £2.7m they paid to bring him in from Nantes.

Lastly, there are a host of former academy players like Mount, Tammy Abraham and James who needed experience to take prepare themselves for a top-level career.

The infrastructure around this is highly innovative, with a loan department having been set up at the Surrey training base.

Since 2019, former goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini has headed up the department, which has ex-players Paulo Ferreira and Tore Andre Flo in it. Technical coach Claude Makelele has been known to help out at Cobham too.

Furthermore, they work with analysts and scouts to keep track of players, giving feedback to them on their performances at their loan clubs. After leaving the club in 2017, Emenalo explained some of the infrastructures that he put in place during an interview with Chelsea TV.

"We have a scouting network that was revolutionary, people are copying some of the things that we did," Emenalo said. "We have managed to improve our opposition scouting department and the recruitment of players.

"There are so many things outside of the technical area which I am aware of that have also grown and improved exponentially."

Famously, Chelsea have always had a WhatsApp group involving the players on loan to celebrate their successes and keep them connected to Chelsea's staff.

An issue that the Blues will soon have to navigate, however, is the fact that FIFA are set to roll out big reforms to how many players clubs can have on loan.

From the start of next season, clubs will not be able to send more than eight players aged 22 or over out on loan. That limit will be reduced to six players for the 2022-23 campaign.

Chelsea may have to slightly reduce the number of older players on their books in the coming years.

Nizaar Kinsella

Nizaar Kinsella Photo

Nizaar Kinsella is a Chelsea correspondent with experience covering international football at the World Cup and European Championships. He is a trusted voice within the Chelsea community, attending almost every game and having spent many years doing so. Coverage on Goal.com has seen him invited onto CNN, BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport and BeINSports to comment on the turbulent world of the Stamford Bridge club. He previously worked for the Daily Mirror and BBC Radio Manchester, as well as a period working in the UK charity sector.