Promising Chelsea attacker leaves for the Championship on loan

Jeremie Boga will spend the season on loan under veteran manager, Harry Redknapp, at Birmingham City after signing a new three-year-deal with Chelsea.

The 20-year-old attacker’s previous deal ran until the summer of 2019 and while it’s a tad surprising to see only a three-year extension for Boga as opposed to, say, four years for Tomas Kalas, it’s an entirely understandable stance from either party. Boga has been out on loan twice previously, both to foreign clubs in Rennes and Granada. During both spells, he’s shown glimpses of his obvious talent but simply hasn’t managed to put a consistent run of starts together due to various reasons.

He didn’t look much out of place when called upon during pre-season and even started Chelsea’s first match of the season but Boga’s brief run in the first-team was mainly due to the overshadowing dearth of depth and fitness among the club’s attacking players. Hence, it only makes sense that he’s completed his move away after the return to fitness of Pedro, Charly Musonda and very soon, Eden Hazard. Boga will be Birmingham’s ninth signing of the summer, of which three others are loanees.

Boga hasn’t had much success away from the club thus far, but a strong season in the Championship can see a player’s reputation soar, as Izzy Brown and Kasey Palmer demonstrated at Huddersfield Town last season. Hopefully Boga can do the same.