Chelsea, Besiktas reach partnership agreement, according to reports

According to reports in Turkey, Chelsea and Besiktas have reached an agreement that will see the two clubs working together in the future. Turkish-football.com, which is citing a Besiktas board member, is reporting the following:

Chelsea and Beşiktaş have reached a partnership agreement according to club board member Erdal Torunoğulları. The arrangement will involve close co-operation between the first teams and academies, training support and joint scouting projects.

The agreement will also see potential loan moves in the near future for Chelsea academy players to gain experience at Beşiktaş.

I have no idea just what the agreement involves, as the club have made similar partnerships in the past which didn't wind up involving loan moves. Besiktas might be an interesting destination for youngsters not quite ready for minutes in one of Europe's elite leagues though, and I could certainly think of less desirable place to send youngsters than Turkey*.

*I'm sure Islam Feruz would agree...

Regardless, it's nice to see clubs reaching out to Chelsea in order to improve their academy systems. Even if the club hasn't produced a first team starter in quite while, it's obvious that those in the industry realize that Cobham has become a model to be copied.