Chelsea loanee Lewis Baker remains committed to Trabzonspor even without Eddie Newton

The 2020-21 season has not been kind to Süper Lig runners-up Trabzonspor thus far, with the team sitting only one point above the relegation zone, with just one win from the first eight games. Seven of those games were with former Chelsea player and coach Eddie Newton in charge, who was subsequently sacked at the end of October. (Trabzonspor drew 1-1 under interim management before the international break, and have now appointed Abdullah Avcı as the new head coach.)

Trabzonspor’s link with Chelsea has not ended with Eddie Newton’s dismissal however. They still have Lewis Baker on loan. He arrived in early September and had featured in every one of Newton’s games since, but was on the bench in the first game without him. Still, the 25-year-old midfielder remains committed and confident that they can turn things around this season given the quality of the players they have available.

“When I was told about Trabzonspor’s project regarding the season and the future, I really felt that I should be involved in this project. In the first days of my arrival, I saw how talented the young players were here in my first match. We are not in a perfect position. We just need time.”

Baker, who says he models his game on idols Xavi, Thiago Âlcantara and Paul Scholes, is surely hoping that this loan will go better than basically any of his other assignments since his breakout season at Vitesse in 2016-17. He’s off to a good start, but managerial upheaval can be a cause for concern.

The best remedy is winning, for all involved, and Baker’s hoping that he will get to do so in front of the team’s famously rabid fanbase, even, before the season’s end.

“I watched [Trabzonspor] many times from videos. We have a great fanbase. I hope I can play in front of them before my time here expires.”

-Lewis Baker; source: Fanatik via Tribal Football

Best of luck, Lewis!