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After a disastrous loan to RB Leipzig last season, Ethan Ampadu’s Sheffield United stint has been much more successful, with the Wales international making 16 appearances this season. He has played in both defense and midfield, filling in wherever necessary, as a result of Sheffield United’s big injury list. He has even earned high praise for his performances as of late.
Unfortunately, the Blades remain mired in the middle of an utterly and completely disastrous season, anchored to the bottom of the table, and that does put some doubt into the viability of this loan, with whispers of a recall being mooted.
However, according to Yorkshire Examiner, Chelsea did not insert a recall clause into the 20-year-old’s loan deal, and therefore, couldn’t bring back the youngster even if we wanted to. Sheffield United manager, Chris Wilder, has also confirmed this.
“There’s no call back with Ethan. There’s no break clause in that deal. He’ll be staying with us.
“Ethan won’t be enjoying the situation we are in, the same as nobody else here isn’t. But his attitude has been great.
“He won’t be enjoying it and he possibly wouldn’t have expected it either. But I’ve sat down with all the young players and told them there is so much for them to gain from all of this. They’ll look back on this period later in their careers and, so long as they continue to do the right things, realize they gained so much from it. It will make them stronger and better, so long as they keep the right attitude.”
- Chris Wilder; source: Sheffield Star
We could certainly use a stronger and better Ampadu in the coming years!
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Meanwhile, one Chelsea youngster whose immediate future is a little less assured is Billy Gilmour, with Frank Lampard admitting in his final interview as Chelsea manager that there is a possibility that the Scotland U-21 international could head out on loan before the end of the January transfer window.
And according to the Telegraph, interest in Gilmour is not lacking, with a host of Premier League clubs monitoring the situation. While earlier, the onus was on Lampard to make the final decision, now incoming coach Thomas Tuchel is likely to have the final say in the matter of Gilmour’s future development.