Ruben Loftus-Cheek has managed to shine in a dysfunctional Crystal Palace side and would be wise to stick around for what could be a much-improved season next year.
Crystal Palace are almost safe after a 5-0 thrashing of Leicester City this weekend, which offered glimpses of a brighter future for next season.
After looking doomed earlier on in this campaign, Roy Hodgson has turned things around at Selhurst Park to start work on what could be an exciting project to aim for more than just Premier League survival in seasons to come.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been one of the club’s stand-out performers and could be given a key role in the team moving forward – but he’ll have to make a big and brave decision to turn his back on Chelsea first.
Writing in his BBC Sport column, Garth Crooks has urged Loftus-Cheek to seek another season on loan with Palace, and it looks like a sound piece of advice.
“I would also advise him to stay at Palace for another season. He is getting game time and coaching from one of the most consummate coaches in the business. Give it a year and see where that takes you,” Crooks said.
With so much chopping and changing at Chelsea – both on the pitch and in the dugout – it seems fanciful at best that Loftus-Cheek could get anywhere near the first XI at Stamford Bridge next season, no matter how much he’s impressed this term.
The 22-year-old looks to be at the perfect club and playing under the ideal manager to get the development he needs at this important stage of his career.
Were Palace to be in another relegation scrap next season, one could argue he’d be justified in thinking more carefully about his decision, but Hodgson is a safe pair of hands who will surely have the Eagles in a strong mid-table position and playing a brand of football suited to Loftus-Cheek’s talents.
Another season on loan could be ideal, but given the way Chelsea tend to treat their academy players, Loftus-Cheek could even do well to seek a permanent move away from the Blues this summer.
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