Jeffrey Bruma confirms he won't be returning to HSV, what's in store next?

Jeffrey Bruma has spent the past 2 seasons on loan at Bundesliga side HSV, but it doesn't look as if either he or the club are interested in extending his stay to a 3rd season. The 21-year old Dutchman had the following to say to the German media yesterday about his time winding down in Germany:

"The two years have helped me in spite of everything, and I've learned a lot, but now I am looking forward to London and my club."

Bruma is a bit of an odd case, and it's been a very strange loan right from the start. HSV made massive changes to their defensive corps 2 seasons ago, most of which were reinforcements brought in from Frank Arnesen's time at Chelsea. He has seen patches of regular, solid play mixed with long spells where he's been out of favor, with very little in between.

From what I've seen of his loan spell at HSV, he's certainly been good enough that he'd be able to fill a reserve role with this Chelsea side. He'd not be an upgrade to the players already on the squad, but he'd provide valuable depth at both fullback and centerback, and he's already on the books.

His contract situation also makes this an interesting situation to watch. Bruma is entering the final year of his deal at Chelsea, and I'd assume this summer will tell us an awful lot about how the club feel in regard to the player. They've already cut ties with a number of Frank Arnesen's youth signings this season, and it's fairly easy to picture Bruma leaving permanently over the summer.

Personally, I'd love to see Bruma given the opportunity to impress the new Chelsea manager, and I really hope he's one of the players brought to the United States in May. If nothing else, it will be another opportunity to take a look at a youngster who has struggled to see the pitch regularly this season. There's obvious talent there, and at just 21 years old, it's not uncommon for center backs to still be struggling for regular minutes.