4 reasons why Ruben Loftus-Cheek needs to leave Chelsea this summer

#4: Competition for England places will be heating up

Players like Harry Winks will be pushing hard to take a spot in the England squad

While Loftus-Cheek seemed to find himself behind only Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard for one of England’s attacking midfield berths in the World Cup, there’s simply no guarantee that he’ll remain in that spot going forward. With the quest for a natural playmaker for the Three Lions about to begin, there can be no doubt that competition for a spot in the England squad is about to heat up.

Players who didn’t go to the World Cup like Harry Winks, Jack Wilshere, Jonjo Shelvey and Lewis Cook will be working hard to try to find their own spot in Gareth Southgate’s squad, while the development of young talent like Mason Mount and Phil Foden might add other names into the hat of possibilities in England’s central midfield.

For Loftus-Cheek, this means that the only way he’ll be able to retain his spot is by continuing to improve his overall game, and mainly by continuing to play in the Premier League, week-in, week-out. And whether he’ll be able to this at Chelsea is just too much of a question mark for him to risk staying.

After the World Cup, suddenly the importance of playing for England that was once lacking is back again in a big way. Loftus-Cheek simply can’t afford to risk missing out on what could be an era of success for the Three Lions – and so he may need to leave Chelsea to realise that goal.