JULY WONDER OF THE WORLD AUG WANDERING THE WORLD?
Three Lions hero RLC must fight for Chelsea place or go on loan to France, Spain or Germany
ENGLAND World Cup hero Ruben Loftus-Cheek wants Chelsea to convince him to stay at the club.
The 22-year-old was in Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate’s semi-final starting line-up against Belgium.
But his immediate future is uncertain after his struggle for game time this season.
He can still go out on loan abroad, with interest from clubs in Spain, Germany and France, three countries whose transfer windows do not close until next Friday.
Chelsea want the midfielder to remain at Stamford Bridge, fight for his place and reassess the situation in January.
But Loftus-Cheek wants to play regularly and be seen as an important player as he bids to keep progressing after his big breakthrough season at the top level last year.
There has been little sign of that happening so far this season with the Blues. He impressed while on loan at Crystal Palace and he made 24 league appearances for the Eagles to force his way into Southgate’s England plans, playing four times in Russia.
Loftus-Cheek is determined to build on that and fears his development could stall without regular playing time.
He cut short his holiday in a bid to return to Chelsea early and try to catch new boss Maurizio Sarri’s eye.
Sarri and assistant Gianfranco Zola held talks with Loftus-Cheek about their plans on his first day back. But the player was disappointed that his efforts to impress Sarri were not rewarded with a place in Chelsea’s Community Shield squad – while Willian, who returned to training after him, was on the bench.
He was handed a 22-minute run-out off the bench in Chelsea’s 3-0 opening day win at Huddersfield.
But he suffered the blow of losing his place in the matchday squad to new loan signing from Real Madrid Mateo Kovacic for last week’s derby against Arsenal, which Sarri’s men won 3-2.
Chelsea face Newcastle on Sunday, but, rather than his potential involvement at St James’ Park, the indications he receives about his future prospects are set to be the deciding factor.
Loftus-Cheek’s situation and lack of action could also be a concern for Southgate.
He names his squad next Thursday for England’s UEFA Nations League clash against Spain and the follow-up friendly against Switzerland.