Transfer News: Ruben Loftus-Cheek has no desire to leave Chelsea this summer
According to journalist Matt Law via Twitter, Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has no desire to leave the club this summer. The midfielder’s contract runs till 2024 and he is looking to complete it.
Loftus-Cheek, a Chelsea academy graduate has struggled to cement his place in the team. He even spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Fulham where he managed to score one goal in 31 league appearances.
The Sun reported last month that Crystal Palace were keen to sign the 26-year-old on loan again. He had spent the 2017/18 season at Selhurst Park which was quite successful. He even managed to make the England national team following that loan spell.
But now it looks like he has no interest in going anywhere. He wants to stay back and fight for his place in the team. Though this could be seen in a positive manner by Thomas Tuchel, it is very unlikely that he will be able to do so.
The midfielder managed to start only 13 games in the league last season. Overall, he played 40 games, scoring one goal. Such stats do not help his cause and he even missed the United States pre-season tour due to his Covid vaccination status.
N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic are all ahead of him in the pecking order. To add to this, he will also have to compete against Conor Gallagher, who has returned after enjoying a fantastic loan spell with Palace last season. Having such quality players ahead of him, it is very difficult to see Tuchel preferring Loftus-Cheek over them.
Should he stay back, it is very likely that he will get minutes lesser than last season. Just 26 years old, he has the potential to improve. But it is very likely that his quality and potential are not good enough for a club like Chelsea. He could be better off elsewhere, though that looks unlikely this summer.
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It remains to be seen what role Tuchel deploys the midfielder in for next season. While his staying will help add depth to the squad, one can expect him to not start in important games for the Blues. It would be wise on the player’s part to change his mind and seek to ply his trade elsewhere.