When The Mirror reported back in November 2018 that West Ham United had an attempt to sign Ruben Loftus-Cheek on loan blocked by Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, it was no exaggeration to suggest that the England international was in the form of his young life.
Loftus-Cheek had scored four goals in his previous three games after all, including a first career hat-trick against BATE Borisov in the Europa League.
At the time, no one would have imagined – after hitting double figures during a breakthrough 2018/19 season at Stamford Bridge – that it would take until April 2021 for Loftus-Cheek to find the net in Chelsea blue again.
Even his old Crystal Palace supporters were willing to give Loftus-Cheek a pass as he embarked on a wild eyed celebration after firing Chelsea into the lead in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final, clipping The Eagles’ wings and killing off their hopes of a first-ever major trophy in Patrick Vieira’s debut season.
At his best, 26-year-old Loftus-Cheek is a formidable presence. A fearsome cocktail of strength and skill, grit and guile. A footballer with the agility of a Porsche 911 and a V8 Range Rover engine chugging beneath the surface.
“I love him,” former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand told BT Sport in December. “He’s a fantastic specimen, first and foremost. I liken him, in full flow, to someone like Yaya Toure.
“He can intimidate players. When he turns and goes full pelt, it’s unplayable at times. As a centre back that’s one of your biggest fears.”
When fully fit and flying, Loftus-Cheek has a lot in common with a man he could be sharing a dressing room with next season. Whether that’s at Stamford Bridge or the London Stadium, however, remains to be seen.
Loftus-Cheek and Rice; A match made in midfield heaven?
According to The Mail, West Ham could come calling for their long-time transfer target again in the summer. The prospect of Declan Rice and Loftus-Cheek thundering through the thirds, a barnstorming blur of claret and blue, is enough to keep Ferdinand up at night, let alone defenders still plying their trade in the Premier League.
‘RCL’ could play alongside Rice, instead of him, or perhaps out wide, allowing Moyes to field Rice, Soucek and him in the same XI. In short, he’d give West Ham options.
Sarri stood in Loftus-Cheek’s way of a move to West Ham four years ago. Only time will tell whether Thomas Tuchel plans to do the same.
“He was excellent,” Tuchel said after the 26-year-old’s decisive impact against Palace last weekend (EuroSport). “And was also very strong in the matches against Southampton and Real Madrid.
“This performance is what he shows in training, but it’s not enough because he needs to show it on the pitch.
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“I think he’s been hiding his talent and his potential for a long time in his career. He’s capable of producing performances that everybody sees on the pitch, but he’s also capable of producing performances that hides all of his quality.”
The implication is as clear. If Loftus-Cheek wants a future at Stamford Bridge, then it’s up to him and him alone to prove he deserves one.
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