A couple more loan deals were finalized on Tuesday. Two of those departing for a limited time would appear to leave us fairly short in midfield.
Back at Wolverhampton. But not permanently.
Mancienne returns to Molineaux, but only on loan
• And again. There has yet to be any club confirmation on this deal, but the Independent reckons Michael Mancienne has agreed to a third loan spell at Wolverhampton. His wish of a permanent move away from Chelsea must wait, however. Wolves offered £3 million, but Romes refused to budge on our £5 million valuation of the player. He made 33 appearances for Mick McCarthy last season.
Mancienne has been interested in a way out of SW6 all summer. And should get his wish - eventually. Writer Sam Wallace alerts readers to what must of us already knew, Jeffrey Bruma has overtaken Michael in the pecking order.
Sad, really. I was encouraged with what I saw of Michael just two seasons ago. Actually believed he would crack the first team. Now, he's surplus to requirements. His performance for the reserves yesterday against Everton indicated a lack of either focus or motivation, or both. Good luck to him at Wolves this season; perhaps he will take that critical step needed to potentially make it at an elite club. Time will tell.
Matic among three to join Vitesse
• Several reports, one official, indicate that three of our youth products have joined Vitesse Arnhem on season-long loans. Nemanja Matic and Slobodan Rajkovic - looks like we didn't release him, after all - along with Matej Delač are those making the move.
Deals for Matic and Rajkovic have been confirmed by Chelsea. Delač, meanwhile, is expected to complete his loan as early as this afternoon, according to TheChels.net.
Vitesse was last week purchased by ambitious Georgian business Merab Jordania, a close friend of Abramovich. Many are saying Romes is behind the deal, setting up Vitesse as a parking lot if you will for some of Chelsea's young talent. The Blues owner has denied such claims.
Regardless, with the closeness of the two owners, it seems like we might see quite a few Chelsea players at Vitesse in the coming years. Jordania, meanwhile, has set a three-year target to win the Dutch Eredivisie. He might just need some Blues to reach such a target.
Matic, Rajkovic and Delač are expected to make their debuts Sunday against Feyenoord. We'll keep you posted on their progress.