As they always do, Chelsea have sent a plethora of talent out on loan to ply their trade elsewhere for the 2021/22 season; something the club have become famous for in recent times.
Many of these players are young, and have come through the Blues' academy who are in desperate need of first-team football, while some are older and are part of Chelsea's loan army, who never manage to find a permanent home, but bounce from club to club on loan, still contracted to the Blues.
Chelsea often disregard players and simply see them as a way of making money, so this loan policy that has its doubters, but after experiencing so much success on the pitch, and financially, over recent years, it's a strategy that has worked for Chelsea.
This summer, the club sold over €150 million worth of talent, finally getting rid of some squad players, while also losing several young stars who couldn't see a future at Chelsea.
The Blues have, however, once again loaned out several players, but who are they?
How many players do Chelsea have out on loan?
Chelsea currently have a total of 22 players out on loan. That includes seasoned veterans such as Danny Drinkwater, and youngsters such as Juan Familia-Castillo who the majority of football fans will never have heard of.
Where is each Chelsea player on loan?
Ethan Ampadu - Venezia
Faustino Anjorin - Lokomotiv Moscow
Abdul Baba Rahman - Reading
Tiemoue Bakayoko - Milan
Thierno Ballo - Rapid Vienna
Michy Batshuayi - Besiktas
Nathan Baxter - Hull
Armando Broja - Southampton
Jake Clarke-Salter - Coventry
Levi Colwill - Huddersfield
Jamie Cumming - Gillingham
Danny Drinkwater - Reading
Juan Familia-Castillo - Birmingham
Conor Gallagher - Crystal Palace
Billy Gilmour - Norwich
Kenedy - Flamengo
Henry Lawrence - AFC Wimbledon
Ian Maatsen - Coventry
Matt Miazga - Alaves
Emerson Palmeiri - Lyon
Dujon Sterling - Blackpool
Karlo Ziger - Rudar Velenje
How are they performing?
Ethan Ampadu (Venezia): Ampadu finally made his Venezia debut on 29 September, as a first-half substitute against Torino. He backed that up with a start, in central midfield, in their 1-1 draw with Cagliari. The Welshman managed his first full 90 minutes against Fiorentina, helping Venezia to only their second win of the season. He grabbed his first assist of the season against Sassuolo two weeks ago, but couldn't prevent a 3-1 loss. He was then sent off in extremely harsh circumstances against Salernitana, despite winning the ball with his slide tackle. He therefore missed their game against Genoa through suspension, but returned last time out and marked the occasion by grabbing an assist in their comeback win over Roma. Ampadu seems to have found his feet in central midfield, not central defence, in Italy, although there's been nothing to write home about so far.
Faustino Anjorin (Lokomotiv Moscow): He made his debut off the bench in a 2-0 win over KS Samara - playing seven minutes. Anjorin then scored the equaliser against Marseille in the Europa League, playing off the left wing after being substituted on. He started his first game for the club against Lazio in the Europa League as well, but hasn't been a regular in the Russian Premier League, and hasn't contributed to a goal in the division either. He also wasn't included in the squad to face Galatasary in a recent Europa League game. Anjorin's spell went from average to bad with news he'd broken his metatarsal in training. He has now returned to Cobham.
Abdul Baba Rahman (Reading): Made his debut by playing 90 minutes in a 3-3 draw with QPR, and is Reading's number one choice at left-back. Reading have kept three clean sheets with him in the side, but they have lost four of their past five games. Baba Rahman has been impressive defensively, making 4.0 tackles and interceptions per 90, but he's been unable to add much going forward. A very promising start, however.
Tiemoue Bakayoko (Milan): Came off the bench against Lazio to make his second debut for the club after impressing when on loan at Milan previously. He then suffered an injury that kept him out for just over a month, but he recently returned against Porto in the Champions League. Bakayoko played 45 minutes in Milan's win over Bologna on October 23, and has appeared off the bench on three more occasions since then. He's yet to force his way into the starting XI though.
Thierno Ballo (Rapid Vienna): Ballo finally made his debut in the ninth game of Rapid Vienna's league season, appearing off the bench against Strum Graz. He started three games in a row from the right wing before being demoted back to the bench for the previous two games. He appears to have forced his way into the side, and found his feet in Austria, but he's still yet to score or assist.
Michy Batshuayi (Besiktas)i: After failing to score in his first two games, Batshuayi bagged a brace in a 3-0 win over Yeni Malatyaspor to get the ball rolling. He then scored once and assisted once in the same game against Antalyaspor to help Besiktas to a 3-2 win. He also caught the eye in the Champions League as well, but was unable to get on the scoresheet as Besiktas suffered a 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. He failed to score against Ajax in their second group stage game or against Sporting Lisbon after missing several chances. After a slight goal drought, he was back on the scoresheet against Basaksehir. He is currently out injured with a thigh strain. The Belgian sits on four goals and one assist in nine Super Lig games.
Nathan Baxter (Hull): In the opening 16 games of the Championship season, Baxter had been on the bench in 14 of them, and not in the squad on the other two occasions. However, his luck changed last time out when Matt Ingram was dropped to the bench, and he was given a chance against Barnsley. He made the best impression possible, keeping a clean sheet as Hull won 2-0. After a rocky start, this loan move looks to be on an upward trajectory now.
Armando Broja (Southampton): After impressing in pre-season at Chelsea, Broja was sent to Southampton on loan. Adam Armstrong was also brought in to replace Danny Ings' goals, and hence Broja had to wait for his chance. He scored a brace in the EFL Cup demolition of Newport County, and on his first ever Premier League start, he scored the winner against Leeds. He then backed that up with a second goal in two league goals to help the Saints to a 2-2 draw with Burnley. However, in that game, he suffered a slight injury and missed out against Watford, with Che Adams coming on and scoring. He returned off the bench against Aston Villa, and will be fighting to start once more. He's certainly impressing on the south coast, and his form for Albania has also been exceptional this year.
Jake Clarke-Salter (Coventry): Coventry have been excellent so far this season, and Clarke-Salter is a big reason that. They did ship five goals to Luton, however, and in that game Elijah Adebayo tore him to shreds. After helping the side beat Fulham, he then missed two consecutive games before returning against Derby and Hull. He has been a solid option, and has impressed, although a return to Chelsea isn't likely at all.
Levi Colwill (Huddersfield): The defender was promoted to the England U21 side at the start of this season thanks to his form for Huddersfield. Injury did force him to drop out of the squad, but it's still mightily impressive for someone so young. He has now been demoted back down to the U19s, but it's an encourgaing start. He scored a 94th minute winner early in the campaign against Sheffield United, and has been a stalwart at the back. His passing lanes and strong left foot has ensured he's able to break the lines on a regular basis, and he is completing the third most dribbles per 90 of centre-backs in the entire division. After two games out injured, Colwill returned for Huddersfield's game against Hull, helping the side to a win and a clean sheet. He did miss the loss to Bournemouth through suspension, but in a 1-0 victory over Millwall. Colwill also grabbed an assists recently against Peterborough.
Jamie Cumming (Gillingham): He has played every league minute for Gillingham after impressing for Stevenage last season, and he finally kept his first clean sheet against Cambridge United in late September. Gillingham are down in 19th, and in a poor side it's hard to pin the blame on Cumming. However, it's also hard to judge just how well he's performing.
Danny Drinkwater (Reading): Drinkwater made his debut in their 2-1 win over Fulham, playing 70 minutes in central midfield. He's backed that up with 90 minutes in a further seven games. He has missed the past two matches, however. The former Leicester man was perhaps surprisingly impressive in pre-season for Chelsea, so him performing well for Reading is far from the biggest shock. A career revival could be on the cards.
Juan Familia-Castillo (Birmingham City): Familia-Castillo has played just 12 minutes of Championship action this term, and hasn't been in any of the past 11 matchday squads in the Championship, which is extremely worrying. This move could be cut short as it's not working out.
Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace): Just like he did for Charlton, Swansea, and West Brom, Conor Gallagher has mightily impressed on loan at Crystal Palace so far. He was forced to miss their opener because it was against Chelsea, but he has started all their proceeding league games. He scored a brace in the 2-2 draw with West Ham, and was a constant threat against Tottenham, grabbing an assist in that game. He also won the ball back excellently for Odsonne Edouard's goal on the counter-attack against Arsenal. Gallagher's engine is perhaps his best asset, and he's hit the ground running as many expected he would. In his past two games he scored one and assisted one as Palace shocked Manchester City with a 2-0 away win, and scored another against Wolves. Gallagher is currently on four goals and two assists in 10 Premier League games this season.
Billy Gilmour (Norwich): Norwich were handed a horror start to the Premier League season, facing Liverpool, Manchester City and Leicester in their first three games. Even in tricky circumstances, Gilmour tried to dictate play when the Canaries had the ball, and he was desperate to impress. Unfortunately, he's not played at all in seven of the past eight games, one came against Chelsea, which, given his talent, is not what would've been expected. He needs to get back into the side or this move will be cut short. Gilmour's performance for Scotland against Israel left many convinced that Daniel Farke would give him another chance, but that hasn't materialised. For someone who impressed every time they put on a Chelsea shirt, to not start for Norwich is worrying and quite frankly bizarre. With a new manager in charge, Gilmour might be given a chance.
Kenedy (Flamengo): Kenedy has made eight appearances so far, all bar one of which have come off the bench. In the game he started, he managed to score his first goal for the club in a 3-1 win. He has, however, been demoted back to a place on the bench.
Henry Lawrence (AFC Wimbledon): After sitting on the bench in the first league game, and coming on as a substitute in the second, Lawrence has played in every game ever since. He also featured in all three EFL Cup games for AFC Wimbledon, and his form earned him a call-up to England's U20 squad for the most recent internationals, where he started in a 5-0 win over Czech Republic. He has shown his defensive prowess for Wimbledon, making 3.0 tackles and interceptions per 90. He produced an assist in a 4-3 win over Morecambe, and has shown his versatility, playing left-back, right-back and even right midfield so far this term.
Ian Maatsen (Coventry): After a successful loan spell at Charlton last year, Maatsen has been the first choice left wing-back for Coventry this season. He has looked at home, and he scored his first goal of the season against Fulham, and his first assist in a 1-0 win against Hull. However, he was sent off this weekend, which has dented his early progress. Even so, bombing up and down the left flank, Maatsen is completing a huge 4.6 tackles and interceptions per 90, and already looks too good for this level.
Matt Miazga (Alaves): He has made seven La Liga appearances so far, with the only win a shock 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid until the side beat Cadiz 2-0 in his last appearance. Miazga has been on the bench in the past three games, despite finally breaking into the first-team before being demoted.
Emerson Palmeiri (Lyon): Emerson has started 10 Ligue 1 games since arriving on French shores, winning five of those games, with the only defeats coming to Paris Saint-Germain, Nice and Rennes. He also played 90 minutes in the Europa League wins over Rangers and Brondby. He scored his first goal for the club in a win over Troyes, but that high was short-lived as he was sent off after 14 minutes against Lorient. He therefore missed Lyon's game against St Etienne, but he returned against Monaco, grabbing an assist to mark the occasion. Emerson has played 90 minutes in the past four games.
Dujon Sterling (Blackpool): Sterling settled into life at Blackpool incredibly quickly, and he had become a pivotal part of their team. They still haven't lost a game in which he's started, but, thanks to illness, Sterling has been forced out of the side by Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel. He hasn't played since 2 October.
Karlo Ziger (Rudar Velenje): He's started 10 games, and has conceded 15, keeping just one clean sheet during that time. He was on the bench last time out.