Why Fulham have struck gold with the signing of Ruben Loftus-Cheek
According to Sky Sports, Fulham have announced the arrival of England international midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek on a season-long loan deal from West London rivals Chelsea.
The 24-year-old started and played the first hour of Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Brighton on the opening day of the 2020-21 PL campaign but failed to make a single appearance in any of the subsequent fixtures for Frank Lampard’s side.
Loftus-Cheek has now completed a temporary switch to Craven Cottage in search of regular game time as he bids to regain his place in England’s squad for the upcoming European Championship next summer.
Profile
Ruben Loftus-Cheek made his senior debut for Chelsea against Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League back in December 2014 after spending 10 years between 2004 and 2014 in the club’s youth system.
Despite being touted as the next big thing to emerge from Chelsea’s youth system, Loftus-Cheek struggled to establish himself as a regular fixture for the Blues due to stiff competition for places in the first-team.
Having been limited to a bit-part role at Stamford Bridge early in his career, the midfielder established himself as a quality player at the Premier League level during his loan spell at Crystal Palace in 2017-18.
Loftus-Cheek bagged 2 goals and 3 assists in 24 league appearances for the Eagles, with his performances deemed worthy of a place in England’s 2018 FIFA World Cup squad by manager Gareth Southgate. He enjoyed a real breakthrough at Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri in the following campaign, accumulating 10 goals and 5 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.
That was before a long-term Achilles injury stalled his progress and pushed him down the pecking order under Frank Lampard. Loftus-Cheek managed only 7 appearances in the PL towards the back end of last season.
Loftus-Cheek would improve the quality of Fulham’s supply lines
Fulham secured promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking but the excitement among the fans has been dampened to a large extent by the club’s torrid start to the top-flight campaign. Scott Parker’s side have slumped to defeats in all of their four league games so far, setting the alarm bells ringing loud and clear.
Of course, it would be unfair to write them off just a month into the season, but it has been pretty evident that Fulham need significant improvement at both ends of the pitch to survive at this level. While the lack of stability at the back has been a major pressing concern, the Cottagers haven’t really created enough chances in front of goal either. In fact, they have failed to score in three out of their four league games so far.
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Aboubakar Kamara have found themselves short of service up top, with the creative cavalry of Bobby Reid, Josh Onomah, Tom Cairney, Ivan Cavaleiro, and others just not doing enough in terms of breaking down opposition defences.
To that end, the deadline day loan arrival of Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea comes as a welcome boost to Fulham’s rather toothless attack. The 24-year-old, given his quality, could add that much-needed X-factor to a midfield unit that has struggled to create enough chances.
Versatility has always been one of Loftus-Cheek’s key assets ever since his days in Chelsea’s academy ranks. The Blues graduate not only has the natural elegance of an out-and-out No.10 but his towering 6ft 3in frame also offers him the physicality to pull the strings from a deep-lying box-to-box role.
Read More
- Why Fulham should go all out to land Said Benrahma before the deadline
- Why Fulham should go all out for Marlon Santos to bolster their defence
Suffice to say, Fulham’s deadline day loan acquisition of Ruben Loftus-Cheek would most certainly improve their dynamics in midfield and attack.
