At this time of year it’s only natural that we start to observe the list of Chelsea players out on loan. There are two players who have been making waves for their loan clubs and one of these is Bertrand Traore. Initially linking up with the squad as a trialist in July 2013, he officially signed a four-and-a-half year contract that December after impressing while on trial at Chelsea’s pre-season tour. Only 17 at the time, there was a lot of hype around the teenager yet without a work-permit it was the obvious decision to send him out on loan.
After agreeing a loan move until the end of the season to our foreign partners Vitesse Arnhem, Traore gradually made his way into the team ending the campaign with 15 appearances and a respective 3 goals to his name, 8 of these appearances coming from the bench. In July 2014, it was confirmed thatTraore would stay at Vitesse for the current season to continue his progress and to further develop his chances towards a work permit.
This season Traore has been in scintillating form and has propelled Vitesse into a creditable 5th position in the Eredivisie. Traore’s form has produced 8 goals and 3 assists to date, which makes him the youngest player in the top 5 competitions including the Eredivisie to be involved in 10+ league goals this season. At 19 years of age, he’s certainly making a name for himself and if expectations are succeeded, he has a very bright future ahead of him.
With 2 of his 8 goals so far coming from outside of the box, he’s got the ability to score the occasional wonder goal. His pace and trickery are two standout attributes, the perfect foundations of any winger. His versatility of being able to play anywhere across the front line is another bonus, yet he has been most effective this season whilst playing as a striker. It remains to be seen where Chelsea envisage his future will be.
As we have seen with Tomas Kalas and Lucas Piazon, the transition back from Vitesse to Chelsea is one that never guarantee’s playing time, even when being highly impressive on loan. Chelsea could try to push Traore into a more demanding league, or maybe settle with Vitesse as playing time seems quite assured. However as Jose Mourinho has talked about looking to involve more youth players in the first team squad, Traore is certainly stating his case as to why he should be one of these players. Although with his work-permit still an issue, it’s yet to be seen whether he will or will not be granted one.
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