They are called Delta Force, and they are the best of the best. The US Army’s special operations force perform many of the toughest, most dangerous, most important missions. They probably could even do it on a cold wet Tuesday night in Stoke.
Chelsea’s Loan Army has its own spec-ops. We don’t have a name for them (yet?), but each individual member of this highly classified but entirely fictitious yet obvious force is tasked with a solo mission to embed themselves in enemy territory, learn everything they can learn, and use it against our Premier League enemies.
It’s a job fraught with danger on all sides and not everyone makes it back. We’ve lost many good men. Lukaku at Everton. Aké and Bournemouth. Oh the tales Victor Moses could tell! Latent effects can be felt years after, even, such as Watford bubbling to the surface for Nathaniel Chalobah. It’s a job only the crème de la crème of the Loan Army can be entrusted with.
The latest recruit set to join this special force is Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who’s apparently getting ready to head out across the treacherous streets of Londontown all the way to Crystal Palace, which isn’t even a real Palace anymore.
Exclusive: Ruben Loftus-Cheek close to becoming Frank de Boer's first signing in season-long loan deal https://t.co/JrxWFSMSbz
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) July 10, 2017
After a period of upheaval at Palace that followed Big Sam Allardyce’s sudden departure at the end of last season, the new man in charge is Dutch legend Frank de Boer, who’s now set to make RLC his first (loan) signing.
Once done, the 21-year-old will become the third Chelsea loanee at a Premier League team already after Tammy Abraham at Swansea City and Kasey Palmer at Huddersfield Town. The move is expected to be made official in the next 24 hours.