Photo by Sarah Ray-Gain/Getty Images
Photo by Sarah Ray-Gain/Getty Images
Away from Chelsea’s senior side beating Real Sociedad, a handful of loanees were in action for new clubs on Saturday and one of them was Ryan Kavuma-McQueen.
Jesse Derry was in action for Sporting for the second time competitively, while Harrison Murray-Campbell, Max Merrick and Kaiden Wilson all turned out for their loan sides – Kortrijk, Hartlepool and Rochdale.
Chelsea top academy prospect
Photo by Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Another to feature for his loan side this weekend was teenage winger Ryan Kavuma-McQueen. The 17-year-old talent made a real impression during Chelsea’s first pre-season game against Western Sydney.
It was his gorgeous pass that set Dastan Satpayev through to score Chelsea’s first goal on tour. Now, the winger is at Portsmouth in the Championship, who have made a difficult start to the 2026-27 season.
Portsmouth fans excited by RKM despite second successive loss
Having lost to West Ham in the Carabao Cup 3-1, Portsmouth fans will have been hoping for a better result on Saturday when they played host to QPR. But Pompey were beaten by the same scoreline.
Portsmouth took the lead, but QPR scored three goals in 14 minutes before the half-time whistle, and the score remained 3-1 until the end. Kavuma-McQueen was an unused substitute in the loss to West Ham.
But against QPR, he was brought on at half-time in an attempt to make a difference. While he did not affect the scoreline, he certainly caught the eye of Portsmouth fans during the second 45 at Loftus Road.
It is rare that a club’s set of supporters are willing to dish out praise on social media following a 3-1 home loss, yet Portsmouth fans obliged when it came to Kavuma-McQueen. One said, “you can tell he’s class”.
“Great impact he had”, was the verdict from another Portsmouth fan. One supporter even claimed that Kavuma-McQueen was “Pompey’s best player”, and was “diligent defensively” and “robust physically”.
Despite the loss, the praise continued to flood in. “Looks a baller” was the verdict of another Portsmouth supporter, while another posted “very impressed with Kavuma-McQueen”. A good start for the winger.
Ryan Kavuma-McQueen’s impressive stats for Portsmouth
Despite only playing for 45 minutes, it was quite clear that Kavuma-McQueen was one of Portsmouth’s better players on the day. FotMob gave him a rating of 7.4, which was Pompey’s second-best rating.
Portsmouth v Queens Park Rangers - Sky Bet Championship 2026/27
Photo by Sarah Ray-Gain/Getty Images
Indeed, it was the sixth-highest of any player on the pitch. Three shots, two successful dribbles out of two, three touches in QPR’s box and seven defensive contributions sum up just how effective the teen was.
He might have only managed 35 touches, but he completed 10 of his 12 passes, two of which were into the final third, and he created a big chance. But the most impressive stat was his duel success rate.
He topped the duels won chart with nine, losing only once. No other player managed that, even those who were on the pitch for 90 minutes. A remarkable stat, especially given it was his Championship debut.
If Chelsea had any doubts that the Championship might be too high in quality or physicality for their 17-year-old winger, the stats allay any fear. Kavuma-McQueen has made a great start in Portsmouth blue.