Chelsea director Emenalo defends loan policy



The Blues' technical director has rejected the idea
that the club are hoping to recoup money by
sending players out on loan and insists game time
is crucial for development
Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo has
defended the club's policy of loaning their top young
talent to other clubs.
The Premier League side have 24 players out on loan
currently - with promising stars Victor Moses and
Romelu Lukaku securing switches to Liverpool and
Everton respectively on deadline day - though the west
London club have been criticised for failing to give their
youngsters regular game time or a chance to impress.
But Emenalo has pointed to the success that several
players have enjoyed on temporary deals, with Kevin de
Bruyne featuring heavily so far this term having spent
the previous 18 months out on loan, and believes loan
spells are crucial for development.
"We are trying to find a way because given Financial
Fair Play stipulations we need to recruit young and we
also need to have a reservoir of talent that we develop,"
he told the club's official website.
"We identified that for young players, the ages of 18 to
21 is the most difficult time as they wonder if they are
good enough for the Chelsea first team and what is
next for them.
"We felt it is better for them at that age to go on loan
to somewhere where they get visibility and good
competition. For psychological and physical reasons
that is the best thing to do at that age.
"They test themselves and they feel good about
competing at a higher level, and it also gives us a
chance to evaluate them and know if they are ready to
come back.
"The loan process at Chelsea has become very
professional and a good deal of thought has gone into
it.
"We don't send players out because we are trying to
recover some money, we send them because we want
them to play and develop and we want to monitor
them.
"We have a system in place that means we keep a close
eye on them and the manager knows exactly what is
happening at all times."

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