Chelsea youngster Billy Gilmour could seek a loan away from Stamford Bridge next season in order to get resecure himself regular game time after struggling for opportunities in 2020/21.
Gilmour joined Chelsea at the age of 16 and made his senior debut in 2019 aged 18. But after recovering from the injury that had prematurely ended his 2019/20 season, the Scottish midfielder only made 11 appearances in all competitions.
There was some game time afforded to him by Thomas Tuchel, who took over from Frank Lampard in January, including three successive Premier League starts in May. But Gilmour hadn’t been involved for the German in the league before then and didn’t get on the pitch in the Champions League knockout stages, despite regularly being in the matchday squad.
Gilmour is still in the early stages of his career but he will turn 20 this week and ensuring he has regular opportunities to play will become increasingly important over the next year.
The former Rangers academy player still made it into Scotland’s Euro 2020 squad despite his lack of club action, but The Sun claims he is ‘considering’ a loan move next season.
It is said that he hopes a strong showing at Euro 2020 could attract a top flight club – it isn’t specified whether means solely the Premier League or whether he would be open to moving to Europe – to put forward a loan proposal with a realistic chance of more playing time.
The obvious example to Gilmour is the journey of Chelsea teammate Mason Mount, who spent time getting minutes under his belt on loan at Vitesse Arnhem and Derby County between 2017 and 2019 before getting his chance in the first-team back at Stamford Bridge.
Ultimately, the expectation would be that Gilmour becomes a long-term first-team asset for Chelsea, but leaving on loan may be a necessary concession at this crucial stage of his development.
Read more - 90min's Our 21: Chelsea and Scotland's Billy Gilmour
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Source : 90min