Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been in and around the Chelsea squad for years now. After several loan spells away from Stamford Bridge, the 25-year-old seems to have finally found a steady role in a strong Chelsea side.
Loftus-Cheek was born in Lewisham, England on the 23rd of January in 1996 and was fortunate enough to join the Chelsea academy at the young age of eight. Radically developing his skills in the West London based academy, RLC broke into the U18s at the age of 14.
In the 2013-14 season, Loftus-Cheek helped Chelsea win the FA Youth Cup and U21 Premier League title. By the 2014-15 season, the then 18-year-old managed to make his senior debut by replacing Cesc Fabregas in the Champions League against Sporting CP.
Under Jose Mourinho, he went on to make his Premier League against Manchester City. While he may have only played three games under Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese manager was impressed by the youngster.
Loftus-Cheek would receive a winner’s medal for his contributions in the title-winning season.
Eagle Escapade
Although he was promoted to the first team, Loftus-Cheek struggled to get regular game time at Chelsea and was loaned out to Crystal Palace for the 2015-16 season. RLC started to receive regular minutes. Playing in 25 outings, he netted two goals and four assists for the Eagles.
Loftus-Cheek was recalled to Chelsea the following season where he played 30 games, notching up ten goals and five assists for the Blues in all competitions.
His performances for Chelsea impressed England manager Gareth Southgate so much that he earned himself a slot in the national side where made his senior debut in a friendly against Germany, playing 90 minutes winning the man of the match following an impressive performance in a 0-0 draw. This lead him to be selected for the Fifa World Cup in Russia.
RLC’s strong 2018-19 season was ground to a halt when he was injured before the Europa League final. His injury kept him on the sidelines til June 2020.
Fulham Affair
After realising his limited role at Chelsea, Loftus-Cheek embarked on another London based loan spell, this time sticking West with Fulham. He played in a struggling team, unfortunately only scoring one goal in 30 appearances.
While he would have been disappointed in missing out on the Champions League winning season, Loftus-Cheek has since become vital player for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
While many thought that he would slip down the pecking order with the arrival of Saul from Atletico, RLC has played 9 games so far this season replacing Jorginho or Kante in a twoman midfield.
High Hopes
It’s hard to ignore the impressive nature of getting regular minutes in such a strongly contested midfield and at the age of 25, if Loftus Cheek can stay fit and help Chelsea to some more silverware this season, the Blues academy graduate will be become one of the first names on the team sheet in years to come.
