Chelsea’s loanee has just come under-fire for big criticism from local media after his individual performance on Monday night......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
The current Chelsea squad was trimmed down to a reasonable size in the summer in a number of ways, including by loaning out several youngsters to get first-team minutes elsewhere.
There’s a number of Blues-owned talents that are thriving away from Stamford Bridge. For example, GiveMeSport claims that Chelsea are delighted by the form of Andrey Santos for Strasbourg.
In contrast, Blues loanee Lesley Ugochukwu, 20, is playing for a Southampton team struggling in the Premier League. The Saints were soundly beaten 3-1 away at Bournemouth last night to leave them with one point from six league games so far this season.
Local media rips into Lesley Ugochukwu
Unfortunately, Ugochukwu started Southampton’s defeat at Bournemouth yesterday and was substituted off at half time after a tough opening 45 minutes.
The 20-year-old Chelsea loanee has received some pretty damning criticism after his latest Premier League outing.
The Southern Daily Echo wrote: “Lesley Ugochukwu – 4. A frustrating first half performance, having looked bright in the early moments. Lost the ball too often and should have done better for Bournemouth’s opener. He was beaten too easily by Semenyo for their third. Hooked at half-time.”
Lesley Ugochukwu must stick it out
Chelsea paid £23m (BBC) to sign Ugochukwu from Rennes in the summer of 2023. After spending last season as a fringe player with the Blues, we think loaning him out to a Premier League rival this term was a very smart move.
The defensive midfielder is playing for a Southampton team that usually has a good amount of possession, but they play high-risk football and it’s costing them defensively at times.
We’ve seen in glimpses that Ugochukwu’s got serious quality both on and off the ball. A below par performance this week against Bournemouth certainly isn’t a reason to completely write him off.
If the Frenchman can capture his best form, he should still be a key player for them this year in their tough quest to stay in the top flight.
