Omeruo defends Chelsea ‘loan policy’ 

Chelsea defender, Kenneth Omeruo, has defended the club’s “loan army”, arguing the policy allows players to gain valuable senior experience.

Former Blues technical director Michael Emenalo was the brainchild behind the system, which every summer sees the club allow a number of teenagers and young players to join clubs around the world.

As it stands, the club’s current squadron consists of 42 players.

Some are newly signed, some have spent years away, while most have never played a game for the club.

There has been some success over the years, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Andreas Christensen and Victor Moses all spending time away before breaking into the first-team.

What the system represents to its critics is another example of how elite clubs, by using their scouting and monetary resources to lure the world’s brightest talents, can dominate their smaller competitors.

However, one proponent of the system is Omeruo, who is currently with Leganes in his sixth loan spell since joining Chelsea from Standard Liege in 2012.

“It is good for the players to go on multiple loans because if you play in the Under 21s in Chelsea, you really don’t get a lot of experience doing that,” Omeruo told Tribalfootball in an exclusive interview.

“But going out on loan, you meet people, you play in different leagues, improve yourself and you know different culture.

“It is very good for players to go on loans and I am a good example. I don’t wait around for them to tell me to go on loan, I just look for a club who wants me and I go.

“But I think too much of it becomes tiring.”