FINALLY OFFICIAL: Chelsea sold their own Jude Bellingham
Although supporters found Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s summertime departure from Chelsea to be notable, it wasn’t anticipated that his departure would have a significant impact on the field.
The Englishman had, after all, never fully healed from a horrific Achilles injury he had sustained a few days prior to the 2019 Europa League final.
Loftus-Cheek was an important member of Maurizio Sarri’s squad at the time and had developed a strong friendship with Chelsea great Eden Hazard. With his ability to carry the ball and his effect in the final third, Loftus-Cheek became one of Chelsea’s most important players.
However, an Achilles injury suffered in a friendly against New England Revolution before the Europa League final win over Arsenal curtailed the next few years of Loftus-Cheek’s career and he missed out on Frank Lampard’s first spell in charge.
A loan move to Fulham was a disaster and although he was a consistent performer as a right-wing-back and occasional central midfielder under Thomas Tuchel, Loftus-Cheek’s career at Stamford Bridge appeared to have stalled before his exit in 2023.
A €20 million transfer to AC Milan was seen as a positive move for all parties and a chance for a fresh start, but Chelsea will no doubt be regretting their decision to sell Loftus-Cheek for such a cheap fee now.
Loftus-Cheek has shone since moving to Italy and his new role as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 has seen him flourish. Before now, the 28-year-old has typically played in a number eight role, however Stefano Pioli has given him more licence to break into the box and use his height as an extra physical threat in the penalty area.
As pointed out by The Athletic, Loftus-Cheek’s role at Milan is fairly similar to Jude Bellingham’s at Real Madrid: dropping deep to utilise his ball-carrying ability, before crashing the box from wide crosses.
Conor Gallagher has played this role at Chelsea so far this season and while his pressing ability far exceeds Loftus-Cheek’s, there’s no doubt the Milan star is better with the ball at his feet.
Loftus-Cheek is a superior dribbler, but he has lacked goals until this season. However, with 10 in all competitions, the 28-year-old has scored more than Gallagher in 2023-24 (five).
Of course, it’s not quite on the same level as Belingham’s immense scoring record at Real Madrid, but Loftus-Cheek is showing elements of his younger compatriot, and Chelsea sold him for just €20m.
Considering the lack of height in Chelsea’s current midfield, keeping Loftus-Cheek around would have been sensible just from a purely physical standpoint, but his value on the ball and now in front of goal is also immense; keeping him at the club could’ve seriously helped the Blues this campaign.