Subuloye has unsurprisingly attracted interest from several clubs ahead of the January window.
Chelsea will have to make a decision amid loan interest in academy star Tayo Subuloye ahead of the January transfer window, according to reports.
The 18-year-old is one of the few Chelsea academy players who have been in and around the first-team environment under Xabi Alonso since pre-season.
Subuloye was part of Chelsea’s pre-season squad for the tour in Australia and Asia, in which he featured three times, including two starts against Western Sydney Wanderers and Johor Darul Ta’zim.
The versatile centre-back has since been named captain of Chelsea’s Under-21s but has still trained with the first team on several occasions.
According to The Standard, several European clubs have made enquiries for Subuloye, and more English clubs are expected to follow ahead of the January window.
The Blues are understood to still be deciding on his immediate future, but will prioritise the player’s development and pathway to the first team.
Would a short-term loan benefit Subuloye?
Unlike his fellow academy stars, Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, Subuloye has yet to earn his official senior Chelsea debut. These three are the only academy players to be assigned first-team shirt numbers this season.
Given that Alonso has plenty of central defensive options, with Maxence Lacroix, Levi Colwill, and Wesley Fofana being the primary back three, there is very little room for Subuloye in the first team.
By comparison, Chelsea are relatively thin in midfield, which gives Watson and Nicoll-Jazuli more opportunity, and they are also two years younger than Subuloye.
Of course, Chelsea would ideally only consider sending a player with his potential somewhere he could play as a regular starter.
That said, there is an argument that staying with the Under-21s and being around the first team is a more realistic environment to develop than joining a new club mid-season.
Even if Chelsea decided against sending the young defender on loan in January, they would likely still get plenty of offers for him next summer.
Subuloye has reportedly trained with the first team during this international break, and played 45 minutes in Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat in a behind-closed-doors friendly to Championship side Portsmouth last weekend.
While he has yet to make the squad for the first team, he has captained Chelsea’s Under-21s in five matches so far this season as they sit fourth in the Premier League 2 table.
He joined Chelsea at Under-12s, starting as a midfielder before moving into a centre-back role.