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What seemed to be a promising loan for Chelsea’s Matt Miazga at FC Nantes has unfortunately developed into something of a nightmare scenario after merely three months.
Banished to the French side’s reserves team a few weeks back, the latest reports unsurprisingly claim that Nantes are now trying to cut Miazga’s loan deal short. Supposedly well-connected Mohamed Toubache-Ter, who’s been reporting on this situation from the very beginning, claims that Chelsea are “refusing” Nantes’ request, but surely that’s just nonsense — it’s more likely that some of the financials or fees surrounding an early return must be sorted out first.
Matt Miazga fait l’étonné...(Non ce n’est pas une rumeur) Pourtant, son agent a été reçu par deux fois par les Kita (désir de mettre fin au prêt a été signifié) Seulement, @ChelseaFC refuse de le reprendre en janvier !! @mthomas44230 @GFFN @ChelseaFrance #FCNantes #Chelsea https://t.co/tVfV4b0Ihc
— Mohamed TOUBACHE-TER (@MohamedTERParis) November 17, 2018
Before joining, Miazga had done his homework and studied the French club extensively, perceiving them as a fitting destination to further his career and grow as a player. And sure enough, the 23-year-old showed early promise and enthusiasm, playing every game (eight starts in a row) and building on his performances at Vitesse last season.
Unfortunately, Nantes’ results were nothing short of atrocious and they consequently sacked Miguel Cardoso, with whom Miazga had a good understanding, and replaced him with Vahid Halilhodzic, who gave Miazga one chance, then dropped him unceremoniously. In fairness, Nantes have won four of five since then, but it would appear that the new coach clearly doesn’t rate the Chelsea loanee.
Miazga had reiterated only a few days ago that he nevertheless wanted to focus on getting back into the team and battle it out for a starting spot, but at the moment, that fight seems to be in vain. If Nantes no longer see the defender as part of their plans, ending the loan prematurely is the right thing to do. Halilhodzic is known for his stubbornness and it seems highly unlikely that he’ll change his mind here, making a return to Chelsea the only viable solution.
This isn’t the first and won’t be the last time that a loan deal for one of Chelsea players is cut short. One can only hope that Miazga’s next assignment will work out a bit better.