Life on the periphery: What next?
Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ethan Ampadu have been close to pushing their way into a starting position at Chelsea over the last few years. Why has it not worked out and what next?
Much is made of the seemingly unending quality within Chelsea’s squad, however, there is a sizable tundra of semi-inhabitable land that remains occupied by the players belonging to the periphery.
To debug some of the prevalent theories, the periphery is not a place you end up in necessarily due to technical or tactical inadequacies, with teams such as Chelsea it can simply be a numbers issue. More often than not it is a place for players who are on the edges of the manager’s plan, hence why Chelsea have been subject to a dense population on the periphery of the squad due to the tactical differences of managers they bring in on a regular basis.
The basis of this article will analyse five peripheral Chelsea players in an attempt to understand why they have ended up on the outer layers of Tuchel’s squad. Following this, I will be suggesting a number of clubs that each player would benefit from moving to if they so desired.
Ross Barkley
There are still a select few that believe in the dwindling light of Ross Barkley in a Chelsea kit. Understandable considering he has delivered in a few key moments, notably his goal against Manchester United. However, his fourteen goals and thirteen assists in eighty-eight appearances continue the motif of Ross Barkley’s professional career; he is a one in three player.
Ross Barkley has always operated with a demonstrably skill and physicality that muster up feelings of confidence in his ability only for him to be curtailed by an inability to maintain consistency both on and off the pitch. Despite winning the FA Cup and Europa League with the Blues, there is no doubt that from the fan’s perspective and the player’s perspective, his Chelsea career has been somewhat underwhelming overall.
His loan move to a progressively improving Aston Villa was seemingly the perfect opportunity for Barkley to once again become a bigger fish in a slightly smaller pond. However, his strong start was marred by the sticky patch of inconsistency that he has been unable to shake off. His combined five goals and assists in twenty-seven games was the underwhelming dampening of a flame that many were keen to see grow in brightness, so what next?
Ross Barkley operates in the top fifteen percent for progressive passes, shot-creating actions, and progressive passes. Clearly, a dynamic attacking team in which he can operate in a central area at the top of the midfield. Leeds would almost certainly be a welcoming home for Barkley and would allow him to develop his technical abilities whilst utilising his unique physicality.
In equal measure, Southampton, Brighton, Rangers, or Celtic would be suitable clubs that would allow Ross to float into the end of his career at a club that is willing to play on the front foot rather than sitting deep. There is little to no doubt a move is something Barkley needs to rejuvenate his career.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
One of the original star boys of La Cobham, Ruben Loftus-Cheek seemingly had it all. An almost unmatchable physicality combined with a technical ability that would allow him to execute the finest first touch from a ball dropped from the roof of the Gherkin.
His brilliance allowed the fans to indulge in academy talent that, for the majority of the last two decades, they had been somewhat starved of despite the abundant quality there. There is no doubt that his development under Maurizio Sarri, particularly in Chelsea’s Europa League winning campaign, was the progress that suggested to Chelsea fans that Ruben was the man to spearhead the Chelsea attack for the next five years.
A ruptured Achilles saw Loftus-Cheek side-lined for close to twelve months meaning his return to first-team football was an almost insurmountable task. Since then, Ruben has only managed ten appearances contributing one assist.
His loan move to Fulham was his chance to rediscover some form and obtain meaningful minutes in the Premier League. Despite the regular game time, Ruben’s direct goal output was dismal with one goal and no assists in thirty-two Premier League and FA Cup games.
A strong preseason has encouraged growing speculation that Ruben will stay with Tuchel’s squad for the coming season. Nonetheless, this has to be tempered with the expectation that he might not be accruing the necessary game time required to continue his development.
The Bundesliga is calling Ruben. Eintracht Frankfurt under the tutelage of Oliver Glasner is a side that would benefit from the introduction of Ruben, equally, If Sabitzer were to join Bayern Munich then Loftus-Cheek could be an outside shout as a slightly cheaper replacement. The Sarri love affair is still sweetly burning at Lazio and a reunion of the two in Italy could be profitable for both parties involved.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek still has plenty to offer. However, some time away from the isle of England would allow him the creative freedom of being slightly out of the spotlight to focus on refining his abilities. The original star boy’s remontada is not over just yet.
Ethan Ampadu
Ethan Ampadu feels like the most unfortunate victim of circumstance in Chelsea’s recent history of loans. In much the same way that Ruben Loftus-Cheek stepped into the side with the accomplishment of a seasoned professional, Ampadu has put in eye-catching performances at club and international levels.
His versatility and confidence on the ball combined with his willingness to either step out from the back or step back from the midfield suggest that he would be a perfect player for Thomas Tuchel. The recent emergence of Trevor Chalobah may have complicated things even more for Ethan Ampadu as Chalobah’s string of outstanding preseason performances suggests he has climbed ahead of the Wales international in the Chelsea pecking order.
Ampadu’s strengths predominantly present themselves in the defensive third of the pitch despite his somewhat underrated dribbling and shot-creating actions. In comparison to other central defenders, Ampadu ranks in the top five percent for both pressures and tackles as well as being in the top twenty percent for progressive passes, progressive carries, progressive passes, and defensive blocks.
This suggests that Ethan Ampadu still has the desired quality to make a decent attempt at regaining a Chelsea first-team spot despite the increasingly difficult circumstances as reports linking Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni continue to circle as well as the likelihood of Billy Gilmour developing into a regular first-team player looking more likely by the day.
Therefore, if Ethan Ampadu is looking to ensure increased minutes on the pitch, a permanent move away from Chelsea might, unfortunately, be the best-case scenario. Atalanta, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Leeds, Monaco, and Real Sociedad would all be excellent sides for him to ply his trade at. Domestically, there is perhaps less scope for optimism considering the signings the top half teams have made but moves to Leicester, Newcastle, or Wolves may also be a profitable move for the youngster.
It is worth remembering that life on the peripheries in this Chelsea squad does not in any way suggest that these players do not have the capabilities to have a real impact on slightly smaller sides. They all have a range of qualities and skills that plenty of clubs would find desirable. The most important factor is that these players get the best footballing moves possible, rather than aiming for the most prestigious club. If they can intelligently map out a path of progression and select the correct next step, then an instant improvement in their career is more than likely.
Really good thoughtful analysis, particularly with carefully selected clubs. Hope they can all make a decent career out of Chelsea. I had high hopes for Ampadu and thought Tuchel would have used him as a 4th DM this season.