In a recent interview with Football.London, Frank Lampard has hinted that he is ready to send Ruben Loftus-Cheek out on loan amid interest from Newcastle United. When asked about Loftus-Cheek’s future, the Chelsea manager said, “With every player in the squad, with the situation of a loan, you have to consider what’s best for the player, what’s best for the club first and foremost. And then see how it stacks up.”
Loftus-Cheek’s Recent Struggles At The English Capital
The London-born midfield ace missed a significant chunk of the previous campaign because of an Achilles tendon rupture. He only made nine senior appearances for the Blues last season, picking up two assists across multiple competitions.
Loftus-Cheek has featured in a total of 82 matches for the West London outfit, registering 12 goals and 11 assists thus far. The English talent managed to average 0.6 shots and 0.6 dribbles per game in the 2019-20 Premier League campaign. He even distributed possession with conviction from midfield after completing 90.2% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
The 24-year-old has got all the skillset required to play in England’s highest level week in week out. However, for that to happen, Loftus-Cheek needs to seek a loan move out of Stamford Bridge so that he can earn regular playing minutes which might help him rediscover his form and perform at top gear.
What Will The Chelsea Midfield Enforcer Bring To St. James’ Park?
Standing at 1.91m, Loftus-Cheek is a powerful runner with the ball as he has got decent pace, incredible strength and outstanding dribbling ability to get the better of his marker in the opposition half. He can strike the ball purely from long range and has got the vision to deliver a killer pass in the attacking third which makes him such a constant menace for the opposition.
As mentioned earlier, the English playmaker is an accurate distributor of the ball and can pick up his fair share of goals and assists from midfield. Loftus-Cheek has won the Premier League twice and the UEFA Europa League once during his time with Chelsea. Therefore, he could instil a winning mentality in the Newcastle dressing room if Steve Bruce can find a way to sign him on loan before the transfer deadline.
What Should Be Steve Bruce’s Play Here?
The Magpies manager should try his best to land Loftus-Cheek on loan before the transfer deadline as he will undeniably bolster the quality of Newcastle’s first-team. The ten-time England international will be an upgrade over any of Bruce’s current options including Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey.
For now, all Bruce can do is keep his fingers crossed and hope that Chelsea sanction Loftus-Cheek’s loan exit this summer. Otherwise, the Magpies will have to find other options to bolster their midfield in the future.
