With Chelsea’s fanbase currently buzzing about the amount of quality young players being integrated to the first-team this season, it’s easy to forget that there are also some talented individuals out on loan too.
Ethan Ampadu is one of the rising stars at Stamford Bridge tipped for a bright future and he exited on loan in the summer.
The 19-year-old joined Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig on a season-long loan and there have been a number of success stories in Germany recently with British talents.
But the senior Wales international has had a rough start at Leipzig, so should he have stayed put with the Blues?
Ampadu’s switch to Germany looked a match made in heaven when it was completed, as Leipzig are a top team in the Bundesliga and also have Champions League football this year.
But he’s failed to make a single appearance since he joined Leipzig and spent most of his time watching on from the bench.
Ampadu needs to be playing football at such a crucial time in his career for development, which is why the Leipzig spell is proving a disaster so far.
There is still time for him to turn it around and break into their team, but the signs aren’t promising as he continues to be overlooked.
Ampadu is a versatile player that can slot in at either centre-back or a defensive midfielder, with perhaps his long-term future in the former.
The Welshman played five senior games for Chelsea last season across all competitions and surely he would have played by now this campaign if he had stayed put in West London.
He will see the likes of Billy Gilmour, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James getting first-team opportunities, while he’s been stuck sat on the bench in Germany.