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A hat-trick in midweek against BATE Borisov has intensified the talk over one of the brightest English prospects, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, again. Many questions are coming to the fore - Should he start in this Chelsea team? Does he need to leave at this stage of his career? Could he make a loan move in January to get regular first team football?
At the age of 22 now, Loftus-Cheek must certainly be looking at his future career and what is the best to do to ensure that he plays regular football, rather than just having a role in the smaller games for Chelsea, against weaker oppositions.
The conundrum will be tough for the central midfielder who has made his way through the Chelsea academy, breaking into the first team squad five seasons ago. His prospects of getting enough game time under the two previous Chelsea managers looked highly unlikely with both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte favouring the experienced midfielders in the centre of the pitch.
The Chelsea players are enjoying life under current manager Maurizio Sarri and with club legend Gianfranco Zola alongside him, it looks a very positive and dynamic team to be involved with.
Ultimately though, Loftus-Cheek has played just 33 minutes of Premier League football this season, and despite the hat-trick in midweek, it is not expected that the England international will retain his position within the first team.
With the quality of Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic and the form of Ross Barkley, it is hard to see how Loftus-Cheek will actually get a run of games in this position at the club, so January will be an extremely difficult month for the England World Cup star.
Loftus-Cheek is not short of admirers, so, let us look at where the midfielder could have a long-term future.
#5 AS Monaco
There has been an outcry for years among supporters of the English game and the National team for their young talented players to move abroad to get the game time that they need to develop, this could be a real option for Loftus-Cheek should the opportunity arise.
The opportunity to work with the highly rated Thierry Henry would be a huge benefit to Loftus-Cheek, certainly when it comes to his decision making in the final third of the pitch and his movement.
Henry will undoubtedly be given funds to improve and make his mark on this depleted AS Monaco side, who have ultimately sold too many of their star players over the last two summers, leaving them second bottom in Ligue 1.
They are expected to progress and move away from that relegation battle in France though and push on under Henry. Right now, the team does lack a physical presence, perhaps a coherent structure within the midfield and if Henry was to come back to the Premier League to add players to this side, Loftus-Cheek would fit the bill perfectly to help drive the club forward.
Henry would provide the midfielder with the platform to learn about the game, get a consistent run of games and almost allow for the player to make mistakes while learning at the same time.
A move to France is not always one that an English player will make, but should the opportunity arise and there is a chance for Loftus-Cheek to get this move, it should be one that he pushes ahead with.
Whether the move is permanent or a loan should not matter, the Englishman would learn a lot from moving to a different league with a different culture and this would help develop his technical ability further as a footballer.
#4 Crystal Palace
This is a move that was sparked during the summer transfer window, and a move that once the January transfer window comes around, we could hear again.
Roy Hodgson is a huge fan of the Chelsea man and after working with the player over the course of last season while on loan at the club, this could be an intelligent move both short and long-term for Loftus-Cheek.
His form while at Crystal Palace was what attracted the attention of England manager Gareth Southgate, so much so that the midfielder played a key role in the successful World Cup campaign for his country.
Hodgson more often than not played Loftus-Cheek in a role that was at the heart of the Crystal Palace attack, free from the left-hand side, playing in behind Wilfried Zaha, this was perhaps because of the struggles against relegation last season and not trusting the player in the defensive transition.
For Loftus-Cheek a move to Palace on the short term might be the option he would consider the most at this point of the season, backing himself to break into the Chelsea first team next season.
The problem could be will he get the same role as last season? Or, Will Sarri want to see Loftus-Cheek in a front three rather than a middle three?
Right now Crystal Palace might just be the place that Loftus-Cheek needs to be, for his confidence and to gain valuable minutes on the pitch. While getting games at Palace will be a starting point for his longevity, a long-term commitment to the club might not be the best fit for the player especially under the management of Roy Hodgson.
#3 Tottenham
This could be considered a controversial possibility, but the argument for this move would make sense for both the player and the club. Mauricio Pochettino has a set style of football, and this Tottenham team under his management have developed and improved year after year.
Despite not making any transfers in the summer, Pochettino will have been casting an eye over players who could improve this team, surely Loftus-Cheek would be a player that he would see as doing this.
Loftus-Cheek would join quite a list of English players at the club and would know these guys from being around the England squad. He would fit into this Tottenham team effortlessly, especially centrally, and when you consider that Belgian international Moussa Dembele could leave the club come the summer, the role he leaves looks made for Loftus-Cheek.
To sit alongside a holding midfielder in Eric Dier, he would have the freedom to express himself and his ability on the ball, at the same time he would develop in terms of his ability in the defensive transition of the game.
He would get games at the highest level playing alongside the quality of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura and his England captain Harry Kane.
A move to Tottenham would have to be a long-term decision by the Chelsea-man, but this would be the move, should the opportunity arise, that would cement the development of Loftus-Cheek.
Obviously moving from Stamford Bridge to a London rival would not be easy on the player, but to work under Pochettino and with this group of Tottenham players, it would be a great move for both the player and the club.
#2 Borussia Dortmund
One of the giants of German football, Borrusia Dortmund, have a reputation for bringing through top class young players. Dortmund could be fundamentally the best place that Loftus-Cheek could be at this point of his career.
The central midfielder will be looking on watching the progress of Jadon Sancho establishing a career in Germany, this is what Loftus-Cheek could be doing.
Moving abroad to Dortmund escalated early on in the summer transfer window, and a move to bring the England international to Germany might re-ignite in January. Current manager Lucien Favre has a fantastic reputation when working with young players, building their confidence, allowing them room to make mistakes and to learn on the pitch.
His current Borussia Dortmund team are alerting the attention of everyone across Europe, especially after the resounding 4-0 victory over Spanish giants Athletico Madrid in the Champions League. They play fast attacking football, built on the platform that the more defensive minded midfielders provide.
The problem with a move to Dortmund would be the player is walking into yet another highly competitive team for places in their midfield. The German side boasts names such as Axel Witsel, Thomas Delaney, Julian Weigl and Mahmoud Dahoud to play in the two-man midfield of the 4-2-3-1 style. Could Loftus-Cheek fit into the front part of the pitch?
A move abroad would be fantastic for Loftus-Cheek, he certainly has the attributes to succeed. A move to Borussia Dortmund would be fantastic for the player, a massive club with a huge following of fans. It would be interesting to see if Dortmund might think they can lure the 9 times capped England star to Germany.
#1 Chelsea
Ultimately, Loftus-Cheek will want to continue his future at his boyhood club, but he needs to play and he needs to be a regular performer in the big games for the current team. The positive that he might consider is that Kovacic is currently only a loan signing for the club and whether the club makes that a permanent move is another matter.
Then there is the future of Cesc Fabregas, with his contract expiring in the summer, will that allow Loftus-Cheek the opportunity to gain an automatic place in the Chelsea midfield three?
Despite the superb hat-trick during the week, Chelsea manager still felt he had to explain as to why he leaves the Englishman out of his starting line-up. The midfield man does lack positional discipline and the ability to track players, but he must be allowed to improve on this.
Is he better than the other players in the midfield three for Chelsea? The answer is simply no, Jorginho and Kante are among the best midfielders in the world of football, while Kovacic and Barkley are both the key ballplayers, they move in between the lines, and currently, Loftus-Cheek finds himself behind these two players.
The alternative for Loftus-Cheek is could he play as part of the Chelsea front three? Hazard is a phenomenal player, even maybe the best player in the world of football right now. However, Loftus-Cheek could challenge Willian and Pedro in the supporting role. Neither of the players has found their best football under Sarri and it does look like there is a position there for someone.
If Loftus-Cheek does stay at Stamford Bridge, we might just see another flash in the pan talent. He could take hope for how teammate Ross Barkley has bounced back, but ultimately a short-term move in January must be on the mind of the player.
Should a permanent offer come in for his services, he needs to think about the chance this would provide him to stay at the top level.
