As his time at Chelsea comes to an end, Ruben Loftus-Cheek will look back at his time with the Blues and cherish the 19 years spent at Stamford Bridge. He leaves for Milan with 155 games played, 13 goals scored and Premier league and Europa league medals. However, Chelsea fans – and Ruben himself – must surely think about what could have been…
Having dominated the youth football scene at Cobham, Loftus-Cheek was one of the most exciting prospects in the world in 2014. At a time when many talents were slipping through Chelsea’s hands and not being given an entry into the first team, Loftus-Cheek pioneered the Cobham revolution by being promoted to Jose Mourinho’s first team squad for the 2014/15 season.
The talent was very clearly evident and Mourinho even went on to say that he should be held accountable if Loftus-Cheek did not become an England regular. Mourinho continued to show his faith by awarding him his debut as a substitute in the last 7 minutes of a 3-1 victory against Sporting Lisbon at home in the Champions League. Fans were left impressed by Ruben’s cameo in which he displayed his nimble footwork, complimented by his 6’5 stature.
Loftus-Cheek struggled to make a real impact in the first team, making only 22 league appearances in 3 seasons at Stamford Bridge. Despite the talent, he found it difficult to displace the likes of Matic, Kante and Fabregas, and was even deployed as a striker under Antonio Conte.
In the 2017/18 season, Loftus-Cheek moved to Crystal Palace on loan from Chelsea in search of regular game time, and that is exactly what he got, making 24 appearances for them in the league. The regular football allowed him to showcase his raw talent.
His Moussa Dembele-esque dribbling and big frame made him a handful for opposition players to deal with, and his eye for a pass and composure on the ball made him unplayable at times. His loan spell at Palace was so successful that he was awarded his first ever England cap, and was subsequently called up to the England 2018 World Cup squad.
Fast-forward to the 2018/19 season and Loftus-Cheek was back at Stamford Bridge, this time with another manager in the shape of Maurizio Sarri.
Sarri showed a huge amount of faith in him, and was repaid by Ruben playing the best football of his career. Having been givenmore of a licence to get forward, Loftus-Cheek scored a career best 10 goals and 5 assists in all competitions for Chelsea, and was instrumental in their run to Europa league glory. He was finally displaying what many fans saw him doing for years at youth level on the big stage – bullying players with his physique, gliding past them in the same way that fans saw Eden Hazard do so many times and combining this with end product. Chelsea fans thought they had their first Cobham superstar since John Terry, and then… disaster struck.
In the build-up to the Europa league final, Chelsea had scheduled a charity match against New England Revolution in Boston. Controversially, Loftus-Cheek had been selected to play in the game despite the final only being a matter of days away.
During the game, he suffered a ruptured achilles, and was ruled out not only for the final, but the large majority of the following season.
Upon his return, Loftus-Cheek was sent out on loan to Fulham where he failed to impress. He returned to Chelsea and received playing time under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea both in the midfield and at wing back,but the once dominant midfielder seemed timid;
Afraid to make his trademark dribbles and constantly looking for the safe option – perhaps a mental and physical effect of his long-term injury.
Verdict – Ruben Loftus-Cheek is undoubtedly an extremely gifted player, blessed with a composure and stature that many midfielders dream of having. Whilst he may not have reached the heights that many expected of him, being able to cement himself as a first team squad member despite having 7 different managers at Stamford bridge in 9 years and going through one of the worst injuries a professional footballer can suffer is no easy feat in itself.
Perhaps an environment in Milan where he will find with more stability and game time will allow Ruben to show the world how good he really is. Still only 27 years old, my advice would be don’t give up on him just yet. Ruben Loftus-Cheek said "It's time for me to begin a new adventure in football, to live in a new country and experience a new culture, but I really do hope our paths will cross again in the future."
As Ruben Loftus-Cheek begins a new chapter at AC Milan, all eyes will be on him to see if he can fulfill his full potential. I believe he has what it takes to succeed. Only time will tell.