7 stars who wasted their careers in Chelsea’s loan prison – from Piazon to Marin
A sweeping set of rules imposed by FIFA earlier this year limits clubs to just six loan exits per season, effectively bringing the hammer down on Chelsea's infamous loan army.
It was a simple model. The Blues would stockpile young talent from all over the world before farming them out on loan. After two or three years they'd recall the best of the bunch sell the rest for a tidy profit.
It worked well for Chelsea, yet dozens of promising players got lost in the loan labyrinth and came out the other side in their mid-to-late twenties with their reputation in tatters. With that in mind, here are seven players who wasted their careers locked in Chelsea's loan prison.
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Lucas Piazon
There was plenty of excitement at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea signed Brazilian starlet Lucas Piazon in 2011, though the 17-year-old was quickly whisked away for what would be the first of seven loan spells after being forced to deputise for the likes of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar.
Stints at Malaga, Vitesse and Eintracht Frankfurt failed to convince Chelsea that Piazon was Premier League material so they sent him to the Championship for three seasons, first at Reading and later with Fulham.
He was then farmed out to Chievo, which preceded a two-year stint at Rio Ave before Piazon was eventually sold to Braga in 2020. At the time he was Chelsea's longest serving player, despite the fact he hadn't actually kicked a ball for the club in eight years.
Which Chelsea player do you think suffered the most being farmed out on loan? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Kenedy
Another bright spark Chelsea plucked from Brazil's ridiculous conveyor belt of talent was Kenedy, who joined the club from Fluminense in 2015.
The young winger showed immediate promise, making 20 appearances in his first season at Stamford Bridge but was forcibly enlisted for the loan army the year after. He spent a miserable half-season at Watford, where he only made one appearance, before moving to Newcastle for 18 months.
Disappointing spells at Getafe, Grenada and with Brazilian side Flamengo followed before Kenedy was finally let go this summer, aged 26.
Marko Marin
Marko Marin was once dubbed 'the German Messi', so when Chelsea snapped him up in 2012 for a measly £7million, fans were naturally over the moon.
Though like team-mate Piazon, he struggled for first-team opportunities behind Hazard, Mata and Co. and made just six league appearances before being loaned out to Sevilla.
Marin then spent an awful year warming the bench at Fiorentina and Anderlecht before being shipped off to Trabzonspor the following season. The midfielder finally quit the club in 2016 having thrown most of his prime years – and his international career – down the drain.
Michy Batshuayi
Michy Batshuayi is the only player on this list who can look back on his Chelsea career with at least some pride. The Belgian scored 25 goals in 77 games, including a memorable title-clincher against West Brom in 2017.
But five loans in six seasons all but killed whatever momentum and promise he built during his early career at Standard Liege and Marseille where he'd threatened to blossom into a more-than-capable top-flight striker.
His first loan move, to Dortmund in 2018, was a huge success, though his stint at Valencia the following season was the complete opposite. Two underwhelming spells at Crystal Palace lowered his stock even further before Batshuayi washed up on the shores of Turkey in 2021. He was finally released last week, joining Fenerbahce, days after a deadline day move to Nottingham Forest fell through.
Baba Rahman
It's funny to think that Baba Rahman was once considered Chelsea's first-choice left back. The Ghanaian joined in 2015, replacing the outgoing Filipe Luis, but made little impact in his debut season, despite playing 23 times.
He was loaned out at the start of his second season and hasn't returned since. Two-and-a-half miserable years were wasted during three separate loan spells at Schalke before the defender was farmed out to Reims, Mallorca and later PAOK.
Rahman then moved to Reading in 2021, finally earning himself consistent game-time, and was loaned out to the Royals for a season successive season last month. The 28-year-old is currently Chelsea's third-longest serving player, behind Cesar Azpilicueta and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Lewis Baker
Chelsea's academy was producing gems long before Mason Mount and Reece James came to the fore, though many of them had their momentum severed by needless spells away from the club – like Lewis Baker.
Baker was always highly thought of at Stamford Bridge, but wasted key developmental years on loan at the likes of Fortuna Dusseldorf and MK Dons.
The midfielder had eight different loan spells in seven seasons, and despite featuring for Thomas Tuchel's side back in January – incredibly making his second appearance for the club eight years after his first – he was finally cut loose a few days later, joining Stoke.
Tomas Kalas
Tomas Kalas looked one heck of a player when he made his debut against Liverpool at Anfield back in 2014 (during the infamous Gerrard slip match), though that turned out to be the highpoint of his Chelsea career.
The Czech defender was farmed out on loan seven times during his nine-year spell at Stamford Bridge. After being briefly loaned back to Czech side Sigma Olomouc, Kalas spent two solid years at Vitesse before an utterly wasteful six month stint at FC Koln.
He spent the next four-and-a-half seasons in England, first with Middlesbrough and later with Fulham and Bristol City. At 26, he finally decided to cut ties with Chelsea, and joined Bristol on a permanent basis.
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