EXCLUSIVE
Marco van Ginkel is ready to leave Chelsea permanently should he fail to convince Blues boss Antonio Conte of his worth ahead of the 2018-19 Premier League campaign.
The 24-year-old signed for the Blues in 2013, from feeder club Vitesse Arnhem, but has only made two first-team appearances for his parent club and has spent the majority of his last four seasons out on loan.
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Van Ginkel is currently enjoying a second-loan spell at PSV after a long stint on the sidelines with a knee injury, and is now solely focused on his new club, rather than his parent club.
"PSV is my team now. I don’t think about other teams or Chelsea," Van Ginkel told Goal. "I do follow them, but it’s not my team now. We all know each other personally here, so I don’t feel like I’m on loan.
"Sometimes there is no other option [other than going on loan], PSV keeps having faith in me. I had an injury last summer and If PSV would have tried to sign me back then, Chelsea would’ve declined it.
"That’s why I extended my contract with [Chelsea for] another year, because I only had one year left, now it’s two. They didn’t want to let me go, perhaps because of the lower price.
"There is a group [of loanees] that does have chance at Chelsea. I’ve been part of the selection already, so I have the confidence I will get back into it. I watch them often. I try to watch almost every game of them. They are doing terrific and I think you could say they will clinch the title.
"When I was younger I watched English football all the time, but I didn’t support a specific club.
"Now Chelsea is my club, and so I cheer for them. The extra motivation to get back [to Chelsea] is always there. Not only because get into Champions League.
"Of course it’s nice to play matches in the Netherlands, it’s great. It’s nearby to your family and friends, but eventually you want to make the next step. If that’s not at Chelsea, then I might look for something else."
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Chelsea currently have 36 players out on loan and the club's policy means that their loaned players are encouraged to sign contracts before agreeing a temporary move. Van Ginkel renewed his contract at Chelsea ahead of his second move to PSV on 31 December 2016.
Van Ginkel played several times for Chelsea's Under-23 squad in the winter period ahead of his move and he admitted that he grew frustrated being out of first team football for six months after winning the Dutch league title.
"I knew it for sometime [that I would rejoin PSV]," He added. "It was a pity, because I’d liked to play for a whole season at PSV. You’re disappointed in the beginning, but you don’t get anywhere if you make quarrel about it.
"I managed to get over it. My family, girlfriend, friends and others helped me out. Most of it you have to do it yourself. The Eredivisie level is not a low standard, but my choice was crystal clear [to return to PSV].
"You do have a lot more time in midfield in the Netherlands, but this is a grassroots league. In Italy and England there are a lot of experienced players, and you are the rookie."
Jose Mourinho made van Ginkel his second signing upon his return to the club in 2013 and he was regarded as "the next Frank Lampard" due to his ability to get goals from midfield.
Van Ginkel admitted that he could have chosen Ajax over Chelsea, but that he would never consider playing for another other Dutch league club, after achieving success with PSV.
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"Vitesse didn’t want to sell me to a domestic side. Vitesse were one of the top three sides [when I was at the club, therefore they didn’t like the idea. Ajax would’ve been a good move. I even talked to Frank de Boer and Marc Overmars, but it wasn’t decisive.
"I’ve become champions with PSV, so Ajax is not really relevant anymore. They don’t have to get back at me again. If I pick PSV two times, it isn’t an option for me.
"In the case [that I return to Holland]. It will only be for PSV, that’s all there is. If it’s going to happen for a third time, I don’t know. I don’t look further ahead of things."
Van Ginkel also had loan spells at Stoke City and AC Milan since joining Chelsea. His first loan spell at the San Siro got off to a good start, but van Ginkel explained that he had a clash of personalities with then manager, Filippo Inzaghi.
"I played a reasonable amount of games in the Netherlands already, so I hadn’t had the feeling to return," He said in reference to his thought process about going to Italy. "Then came AC Milan along, and I wanted to see how a things would work out in the Italian league.
"I am happy with the experience [in Milan]. You get more mature. Inzaghi was the manager back then, and he wasn’t all that compliant. He made a lot of decisions no one understood. The day before a game he would let you know if you’d play or be benched.
"If I played two good games in a row, I’d be a substitute the third game. These kinds of things; there wasn’t any logic at all, of course politics were involved.
"Before the winter break I already had the feeling I’d play a whole season. But was kicked during a training session and one other time I slip sprain my other foot, and got injured."
PSV are currently third in the Eredivisie and face Sparta Rotterdam on Saturday as they compete with Ajax and Feyenoord to retain their title.