Chelsea could consider sending highly-rated defender Tayo Subuloye on loan as early as January following his rapid progress towards Xabi Alonso’s first team.
The 18-year-old centre-back impressed during Chelsea’s summer tour and has continued training around the senior squad during the opening weeks of the season.
Subuloye has also captained Chelsea’s Under-21 side this term, strengthening his reputation as one of the leading defensive prospects at Cobham.
A temporary move could now become the next stage of his development.
Tayo Subuloye pushing towards Chelsea first team
Subuloye has been identified as Chelsea’s latest academy centre-back pushing towards senior football, with BBC reporting highlighting his growing first-team involvement.
The 6ft 5in defender featured heavily during pre-season, accumulating 179 minutes as Alonso assessed several academy players against senior opposition.
Subuloye was also involved when Chelsea travelled across Australia and Asia, having been included in the 28-player pre-season squad alongside several other Cobham prospects.
His opportunities did not end when the tour finished.
Subuloye trained with Alonso’s first-team group ahead of the Brentford defeat earlier this month alongside Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli and Reggie Watson.
That progression is significant given how quickly Watson has already moved from academy football into a competitive Chelsea debut.
January loan could become next step
BBC’s profile of Subuloye suggests a loan could now be considered sooner than originally expected if Chelsea decide regular senior football would accelerate his development.
A January-to-May move would allow him to experience competitive first-team football before returning to Cobham ahead of next season.
Chelsea have increasingly used loans as the final stage between academy football and the senior squad, with the club’s academy pathway built around moving leading prospects towards first-team opportunities.
Subuloye appears increasingly close to reaching that stage.
He has already shown he can handle senior opposition during pre-season and is now training regularly around Alonso’s squad.
Chelsea have not confirmed that a January loan will happen.
However, if Subuloye continues to outgrow Under-21 football, the club may soon need to decide whether keeping him around the first team or finding regular senior minutes elsewhere will best serve his development.
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