Alfie Gilchrist is a man in demand, according to Ben Jacobs.
The Chelsea insider claims there are three teams already with concrete interest in the young defender: Preston, Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United.
Earlier reporting had claimed that Millwall and Swansea were in the mix, but Jacobs says there’s “no talks” with them “to date.”
It seems teams are queuing up to sign Gilchrist, who got his chance in Mauricio Pochettino’s first team when injuries were really reducing the squad to the bare bones. He made himself something of a cult hero for Chelsea fans with his red blooded style and his regular introductions late in game to try and close things out.
He ended the season by winning the club’s “Academy Player of the Year” award, an obvious call given his impact through the season, which he ended with 11 Premier League appearances as well as his first goal for the club.
A perfect next move for a talented youngster
While we loved having Alfie in the main squad this season and getting to see him play a decent number of minutes in the second half of the campaign, a loan is now clearly the right option. There will be a lot more competition for places next season with (hopefully) fewer injuries, and the youngster doesn’t want to be stuck on the bench all year.
The Championship should be the perfect level for him to develop, and his all action style should be a nice fit for a number of teams in the second tier. The fact he showed he can play in a number of positions for Chelsea this season is also likely to have sparked further interest.
There’s likely to be interest from the bottom of the Premier League too – but we’d rather a move that guarantees him minutes every week.