It's official - Chelsea sold their own Jude Bellingham

Cameron Smith

12 Apr 2024 10:15 BST
4 min read

Jude Bellingham, Chelsea, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s departure from Chelsea last summer was a noteworthy one from a supporter’s perspective, but his exit wasn’t expected to make too much of a difference on the pitch.

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After all, the Englishman had never quite recovered from a horrid Achilles injury suffered just days before the 2019 Europa League final.

At the time, Loftus-Cheek was a key player under Maurizio Sarri and had built up an impressive rapport with Chelsea legend Eden Hazard. His ball-carrying ability and final-third impact was a massive threat, with Loftus-Cheek emerging as one of Chelsea’s most influential stars.

However, an Achilles injury suffered in a friendly against New England Revolution before the Europa League final win over Arsenal curtailed the next few years of Loftus-Cheek’s career and he missed out on Frank Lampard’s first spell in charge.

A loan move to Fulham was a disaster and although he was a consistent performer as a right-wing-back and occasional central midfielder under Thomas Tuchel, Loftus-Cheek’s career at Stamford Bridge appeared to have stalled before his exit in 2023.

A €20 million transfer to AC Milan was seen as a positive move for all parties and a chance for a fresh start, but Chelsea will no doubt be regretting their decision to sell Loftus-Cheek for such a cheap fee now.

Do Chelsea regret selling Ruben Loftus-Cheek?

Loftus-Cheek has shone since moving to Italy and his new role as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 has seen him flourish. Before now, the 28-year-old has typically played in a number eight role, however Stefano Pioli has given him more licence to break into the box and use his height as an extra physical threat in the penalty area.

As pointed out by The Athletic, Loftus-Cheek’s role at Milan is fairly similar to Jude Bellingham’s at Real Madrid: dropping deep to utilise his ball-carrying ability, before crashing the box from wide crosses.

Conor Gallagher has played this role at Chelsea so far this season and while his pressing ability far exceeds Loftus-Cheek’s, there’s no doubt the Milan star is better with the ball at his feet.

Loftus-Cheek is a superior dribbler, but he has lacked goals until this season. However, with 10 in all competitions, the 28-year-old has scored more than Gallagher in 2023-24 (five).

Of course, it’s not quite on the same level as Belingham’s immense scoring record at Real Madrid, but Loftus-Cheek is showing elements of his younger compatriot, and Chelsea sold him for just €20m.

Considering the lack of height in Chelsea’s current midfield, keeping Loftus-Cheek around would have been sensible just from a purely physical standpoint, but his value on the ball and now in front of goal is also immense; keeping him at the club could’ve seriously helped the Blues this campaign.