Finally official: Marco van Ginkel heads to Milan for the season

I suppose that we didn't know for sure that this was going to be a season-long loan until now, but nothing else about Marco van Ginkel going to AC Milan -- which Chelsea have now confirmed -- is much of a surprise. This has been rumoured on and off for weeks, and the pictures of him holding a Milan scarf, in Milan, being interviewed by Milan's official television channel kind of gave the game away well before things became officially official.

What we know: this is a straightforward loan. There's no option to buy at the end of the year, and it would be a shock if van Ginkel didn't return to Stamford Bridge in summer 2015. Van Ginkel, I suspect, immediately becomes our top prospect out on loan, and we'll obviously be paying close attention to his progress as the year goes on. If he's healthy, he should light up the league. Maybe he'll help fellow loanee Fernando Torres score some goals!

And yes, the squad now falls into acceptable territory regarding non-homegrown players.