Assessing the future: Chelsea's 5 best loan prospects

Straddling the boundary between investing in the future and abusing the loan system, Chelsea has been lambasted for buying high-profile foreign players while ignoring local talent.

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has been Chelsea's biggest critic, highlighting the faults of the current home grown rule that allows clubs to designate emerging foreign players with a youth tenure in England as "home grown."

"Home grown doesn’t mean English, because you know Cesc Fabregas would count as home grown. (Clubs) are spending a lot of money on academies and they’re not getting the players for it. You go to Chelsea, the best youth side in the country, and yet the last player to get regularly into their first team was John Terry," Dyke told reporters.

Dyke's argument centres around the absence of English-born players on the Premier League's top sides, where the potential of tomorrow's Three Lions is hampered by their lack of opportunities.

"Academy teams at clubs such as Chelsea are now increasingly filled with foreign players, mirroring the first team. (English players) are not just absent at the top-level, they don’t play at all."

With 34 players on loan across Europe, ranging from teenagers rife with potential and players in their mid-20's who have struggled for first team opportunities at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's next generation is gaining valuable experience plying their trade in leagues both obscure and high-profile.

Here's a look at five young players who have enjoyed breakthrough loan spells this season, signalling a potential place in the Chelsea squad for years to come:

Dominic Solanke (Vitesse Arnhem)

Solanke is one of five Chelsea-owned players currently at the Dutch side as part of an agreement between the clubs forged in 2010 when Georgian businessman Merab Jordania, a close friend to Roman Abramovich, bought the Eredivisie outfit.

Solanke, 18, joined Vitesse in the summer, and has since appeared in 19 top-flight matches, pairing five goals and an assist playing up top for Rob Maas' eighth-place side. Solanke is also able to play as an attacking midfielder or winger, with former Chelsea striker Tore Andre Flo characterizing him by saying: "He's got a very good physique and I think he’s got great touch on the ball."

Andreas Christensen (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Few Chelsea loanees have had a campaign as promising as 19-year-old Monchengladbach defender Christensen. His brace in a 5-1 victory over Werder Bremen on Feb. 5 was a coming-out party of sorts for the twice-capped Danish international.

In 17 Bundesliga matches this season, Christensen has starred at centre-back for Die Fohlen after making only one substitute appearance for Chelsea the year before in his first-team debut.

Jeremie Boga (Rennes)

Often lost in the discussion of Chelsea's most promising loan talents, Boga, 19, has been a revelation with Rennes this season, making 17 appearances for Les Rouges et Noirs.

With two goals, including an individual gem against Reims, the Marseille-born talent is a versatile attacker blessed with pace and free-kick skills, able to ply his trade either as a forward or on the wings.

While not as experienced as other Chelsea loan talents, the stocky teenager has the pedigree to succeed at Stamford Bridge.

Nathan Ake (Watford)

Emerging as a key player in Watford's surprisingly fortuitous return to the top flight, Ake is a versatile defender with a vital variable his fellow loanees don't boast: Premier League experience.

The Dutch-born Feyenoord academy product has made 16 appearances for Quique Sanchez Flores' squad this year at left-back, and his pace has kickstarted many an attack for the the 10th-place Hornets.

His penchant for robust tackles and ability to read the play could very well result in a return to Stamford Bridge, and a place in the squad, for the 2016-17 campaign.

Lewis Baker (Vitesse Arnhem)

Luton-born midfielder Baker is enjoying his third loan spell since joining Chelsea as a 9-year-old in 2005, with previous temporary moves at Sheffield Wednesday and MK Dons paling in comparison to his breakthrough tenure with Vitesse.

The 20-year-old has three goals in 17 appearances for the Dutch side this season, playing in an attacking midfield role similar to that currently held by Eden Hazard, sparking comparisons between the two.

Highly regarded by former Blues gaffer Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese boss claimed, "My conscience tells me that if, for example, Baker, (Izzie) Brown, and Solanke are not national team players in a few years, I should blame myself."

Hopes are high that Baker will be able to meet his former manager's valuation by plying his trade for Chelsea's first-team.

Here are the other 29 Chelsea players currently on loan: