Official: Hull City sign Xavier Simons on loan from Chelsea

Chelsea’s Loan Army tends to operate on a smaller scale these days — partly by design, partly due to FIFA’s new regulations — but it’s still very much alive and very much part of the standard development pathway at the club.

The latest youngster to join the ranks this season is 19-year-old Xavier Simons, moving to Hull City for the rest of the season, and linking up with fellow loanee Nathan Baxter. The Tigers are off to a good start this season, in seventh after seven games played in the Championship.

Simons joined Chelsea as a 13-year-old when Brentford closed their academy in 2016. He’s made one senior appearance for us already, starting and winning last year’s League Cup quarterfinal against, ironically, Brentford. The England U19 international midfielder otherwise featured regularly in our PL2, EFL Trophy, and UEFA Youth League campaigns.

Simons’ Chelsea contract is only through the end of this season, but we do have a club-option for a one-year extension.

Good luck, Xavier! Do us proud!