Stipe Perica was just one among the massed ranks of Chelsea's loan army last season, as 30+ players were sent on secret footballing missions all all over Europe and even Brazi. Perica was at Udinese in Serie A and he actually had been there since January 2015. Now, his 18-month stay has turned into a permanent one.
Ufficiale: #Perica riscattato dal Chelsea FC | Perica completes permanent move from Chelsea https://t.co/tcbtMtjUQD pic.twitter.com/a4OWYtcEGq
— Udinese Calcio (@Udinese_1896) 15 June 2016
This season, the young striker earned 13 apperances for the club across all competitions, scoring 3 goals in 642 minutes of playing time. He had arrived at Chelsea in August 2013 on the backs of great performances at the U20 World Cup*, in a €2.5m transfer move from Croatian club Zadar, but thanks in part to work permit regulations for Croatian nationals, never got the chance to make a first-team appearance with the Blues. He spent his entire Chelsea career on loan deals, initially with Dutch club NAC Breda and then with Udinese.
Terms of the transfer for the 20-year-old weren't disclosed, but sources put it around €4m. Profits, baby!
Good luck, Stipe!
* France won the 2013 U20 World Cup with a team that included Paul Pogba and Kurt Zouma.