Professional Footballers' Association condemn Chelsea's 'warehousing' of players
Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chief Gordon Taylor has criticised Chelsea's use of the loan market as the Premier League champion has sent out 33 players to various European clubs this season.
This includes Juan Cuadrado, who has been loaned to Juventus, seven months after he cost Jose Mourinho's side around £25 million. Victor Moses has joined West Ham United on a temporary basis - three loan spells in three years to three different clubs. Other names such as Mohamed Salah, Marco van Ginkel, and Nathaniel Chalobah have been lent out.
It's quite the lucrative business for the Stamford Bridge outfit. Thorgan Hazard, younger brother of Eden, joined Chelsea in 2012 for €500 thousand and then spent three consecutive seasons out on loan. Despite no appearances for the Blues, they sold him to Monchengladbach for a reported €8-million fee this summer.
Taylor of the PFA, however, doesn't like it.
"You just wonder where the number will end because it’s a pretty strong influence that one Premier League club seems to be having in so many competitions," he told the Mirror.
The 33 are loaned out across Europe, playing in elite leagues in places such as Germany and Italy.
"It's almost a warehousing of players. You wonder whether it brings into question the integrity of the various competitions."
While he recognises the benefit of sending young players out to get first team experience, he questions why there are so many Chelsea loanees when the club has an academy. The second-highest tally of players loaned out from a Premier League team goes to Liverpool with 16.
"There are players at these clubs in Europe who are denied the chance because others are coming in with their parent clubs paying their wages," he continued. "It makes that option more attractive.
"So then it is not about the best team winning a particular competition, it is about who has the best relationship with the biggest clubs."
He named a few England internationals who have benefited from the loan system, and that just one belongs to Chelsea.
"To be fair, the loan system has given chances to a lot of players in this country, like Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck, even David Beckham.
"But then when you look at Chelsea, of the homegrown players, it's only John Terry that’s come through."
So out of the 33 who Chelsea has loaned out this campaign, what is the best XI?
