Much to the chagrin of Chelsea fans, a lot of promising players get shipped off on loan to other clubs every season despite their apparent quality.
Chelsea currently have over 30 players out on loan at clubs in Europe's top leagues, including the Premier League.
Below we take a look at six players who have staked a claim for a spot in Chelsea's first-team set-up next season due to their brilliant performances at the clubs they were loaned out to.
Since his days in Chelsea's youth set-up, Ruben Loftus-Cheek had been touted by the club's fans to make his way into the senior squad and he duly did in 2014.
His spell in Chelsea's first-team was marred by extremely limited playing time, though, which saw him move out on loan to Crystal Palace earlier this season in a bid to make a name for himself in the English top-flight and so far, he's done a splendid job.
With an 82% pass completion rate (per 90 minutes), just one point below Cesc Fabregas' 83%, RLC is quite decent at passing the ball. The 22-year-old has also averaged 3.24 successful take-ons per game this season thus highlighting his ability to get past players.
He's been pivotal to Crystal Palace's fight for Premier League survival and judging by his displays, he should be brought into Chelsea's first-team set-up next season.
Simply put, sending Batshuayi out on loan was a terrible decision by Chelsea. Before his move to Dortmund, the Belgium international was underused at Stamford Bridge but still managed to bag six goals in 12 Premier League appearances.
His move to Dortmund was a chance for him to prove his worth to not just Antonio Conte, but the footballing world, and with nine goals from 13 appearances in all competitions, he's now a highly-rated striker.
With Alvaro Morata performing well below expectations, Batshuayi should be brought back to the club ahead of next season in a bid to add some potency to Chelsea's attack.
Kenedy
The young Brazilian failed to make a single Premier League start for Chelsea this season before being shipped off to Newcastle, and thus far, he's made the best out of his loan move having become a fan favorite at St James' Park.
Kenedy has scored two goals and registered two assists in 10 League appearances for the Magpies. His contributions have been crucial in Newcastle's fight to remain in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old has garnered some interest from Bayern Munich, which is a testament to his ability. Hence, Chelsea would do well to utilise his talents next season.
Marco Van Ginkel
Van Ginkel has made just two first-team appearances for the Blues club having been loaned out five different times since his arrival at Chelsea.
Now 25, the Dutch midfielder has found some consistency at PSV as he led them to the Eredivisie title whilst scoring 14 goals and making four assists in 27 league appearances.
Being a goalscoring midfielder, he can introduce a new dynamic to a Chelsea midfield that isn't known for its goal contributions.
After a stellar spell at Bristol City last season many expected Tammy Abraham to be part of Antonio Conte's plans this term but instead he was sent out on loan to a struggling Swansea side and proved to be a beacon of hope.
His smart runs and pace have seen him cause problems for a lot of Premier League teams this season, but due to Swansea's lack of quality midfielders he's been unable to rack up goals at the Liberty Stadium.
Judging by his performances, though, he'd be a great back up striker for Chelsea next season.
The centre-back spent a long time on the sidelines due to an ACL injury and upon his recovery he was sent out on loan to Stoke City in a bid to regain full fitness.
Despite Stoke being relegated from the Premier League, Zouma put in some great individual displays, but there's only so much a centre-back can do to help a team in a relegation battle.
It would be unwise for Chelsea to loan him out again as he appears to be fully recovered from his injury set-back.
