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Young Czech defender Tomas Kalas has always been a bit more realistic (i.e. negative) regarding his chances at Chelsea — he once famously described himself as a "training cone" — though his impressive spells at Vitesse, Middlesbrough, and now Fulham could make the case that he could have a non-impossible shot at the first-team at some point in the near future. He is just 23 after all.
But it doesn't sound like that's anywhere near the forefront of Kalas's mind; he's just concentrating on doing his best for Fulham to ensure that the next step in his career is he best one yet.
"Chelsea are trying to build a big team; there's nothing wrong in that. We loan players are trying to get into the first team, but it's very difficult. John Terry can't keep going forever: that's obvious. But there is another player they can buy and build a team from there."
"When you go on loan you want to play. At the end of the season, I've only got one more year left on my contract. So I'm playing for more than just building a CV."
-Tomas Kalas; source: Get West London
Kalas will have one more year left at the end of the season on the three-year contract he signed last summer. Whether his future lies at Fulham or elsewhere, Chelsea will be looking to make a solid profit on the £5m investment made in 2010.