Chelsea’s 33 loan players including Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek swarm back to club – but who deserves to stay?

THOMAS TUCHEL faces a challenge this summer deciding which additions to his side can help Chelsea challenge for the title next season.

Yet the German may not need to turn to the transfer market to improve the Blues with an army of loan players set to return to the club.

In recent years, Chelsea have become renowned for hoarding young talent and shipping them off for a season around Europe.

And the Blues were at it again this season with as many as 33 experienced and youth players departing on temporary deals.

The likes of Fikayo Tomori and Victor Moses are already set to finalise permanent transfers after impressing at AC Milan and Spartak Moscow.

But others will see their long-term futures at Stamford Bridge and SunSport looks at some of the names that have their Chelsea careers up in the air…

Ross Barkley (Aston Villa) – SELL

SunSport revealed earlier this year that Aston Villa are keen to offer the midfielder a permanent deal following his stint at the club.

The England international only scored three league goals and provided one assist in the Midlands but impressed in spells throughout last season.

Chelsea’s strength in depth in attacking areas should mean that Barkley will be shipped out even if Villa decide not to return for the 27-year-old.

Marc Guehi (Swansea) – KEEP

The versatile defender has been at the Blues since he was seven years old.

Guehi – who played twice in the Carabao Cup for Chelsea in the 2019-20 season – returned to Swansea for a second loan last term.

And the 20-year-old was a shining light for the Welsh side as they narrowly missed out on Championship promotion in the play-off final.

But Guehi is likely to be given the chance to prove himself at Chelsea during pre-season and emulate the paths taken by Reece James and Mason Mount.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Fulham) – KEEP

The 2018 World Cup star enjoyed a transformative loan at Crystal Palace three years ago that readied him for Chelsea’s first team.

But he was set back by an Achilles injury which kept him out for 13 months, suffered in a Blues charity match in April last year.

It has led to him being farmed out again, this time to rivals Fulham, where he managed just one goal in 22 appearances for the relegated Cottagers.

But Tuchel offered the 25-year-old a lifeline back in April by comparing him to German legend Michael Ballack.

Malang Sarr (Porto) – LOAN

THE Blues signed Sarr on a five-year deal from Nice last summer – and immediately revealed they planned to loan him out.

The Ligue 1 outfit were keen to have him back for the year, but he settled on a switch to Portuguese giants Porto.

And Sarr came off the bench to help knock out Juventus in the Champions League but his loan agreement prevented him from featuring in their quarter-final exit to Chelsea.

Thiago Silva agreeing a contract extension and Guehi’s return mean the Blues face no real rush to feature the 22-year-old next season.

Another loan – either back to Porto or even a Premier League side – may better serve his development.

Ethan Ampadu (Sheffield United) – LOAN

The Welsh defender-turned-midfielder-turned defender joined from Exeter in 2017 to plenty of hype.

Ampadu was loaned to RB Leipzig last season in the hope he’d join Jadon Sancho in becoming the latest Brit to thrive in the Bundesliga after just 12 first-team games for Chelsea.

But he played just three times and was sent out to Sheffield United.

Unfortunately for Ampadu, who has been restored in defence, he struggled at times in the 25 games he featured for bottom of the league Blades.

Still only 20 years old, Chelsea most likely won’t give up on him yet and a strong performance for Wales in the Euros may even earn him a chance to impress in West London.

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Conor Gallagher (West Brom) – LOAN

Another hot prospect, the England starlet showed his undeniable talent at Charlton and then Swansea on loan in 2019-20.

And Gallagher has been seizing his chance in the Premier League with West Brom after signing a new five-year deal at the Blues.

The box-to-box midfielder made 30 appearances for the relegated Baggies last term, scoring two goals and notching a further two assists.

The 21-year-old will be given time in Chelsea training to impress with the bulk of the squad away at the Euros.

Yet when they return he might find himself back on the loan list with Tuchel currently flooded with attacking options.

Michy Batshuayi (Crystal Palace) – SELL

Belgian star moved from Marseille to Chelsea for a whopping £33m in 2016.

But after a succession of loans, Batshuayi has since struggled for game time in his second stint at Crystal Palace – scoring twice in 20 appearances.

And Chelsea will hope the striker can drive up his price tag at the Euros this summer with Leeds poised to reignite their interest from last summer.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk