Chelsea loanee Caleb Wiley is beginning to put a run of games together for Watford after returning from injury.
Caleb Wiley, who signed for Chelsea from MLS club Atlanta United in 2024, has had a busy season to date.
The 20-year-old defender initially joined Strasbourg on a season-long loan last summer. However, his time in France was stop-start due to injury, playing only six times in the first half of the campaign.
In January, the Blues recalled the left-back and immediately sent him on loan to English Championship club Watford for the rest of the 2024/25 season.
Wiley had to be patient for his Watford debut because he arrived mid-season at Vicarage Road with an injury problem, but he’s now started three consecutive league matches as he builds some momentum.
Watford fans already want to re-sign Chelsea loanee Caleb Wiley
On Tuesday night, Tom Cleverley’s Watford side recorded a 1-0 home win over Hull City in the Championship.
Chelsea loanee Wiley, 20, was one of the outstanding players on the pitch with his individual display. In fact, the attack-minded full-back even assisted Moussa Sissoko’s winning goal with an excellent cross.
Watford supporters on social media were left blown away by Wiley’s performance versus Hull, and many fans on X were saying they want him back next season after his loan expires.
One fan wrote: “What a player. Hope we can get another year loan deal.”
“If Wiley keeps putting in performances like that, we’ve got to extend his loan for next season,” another said.
One supporter claimed: “Keep this guy next season and we got a serious footballer.”
“Chelsea, yeah Caleb Wiley isn’t good but we will just take him off you again next season cause we’re nice (please can we have him next year),” another posted.
Chelsea supporters may not know too much about Wiley because he’s not been around the first-team group at Stamford Bridge yet, but it’s very encouraging to hear the youngster can shine in the Championship.
Wiley prioritised a move to Chelsea last year despite interest from AC Milan and Juventus, so it would be great to see him break into Enzo Maresca’s senior squad in the years ahead.
In fairness, the left-back position is looking light this season without too much cover for Marc Cucurella. Let’s wait and see what happens with Wiley in the summer.
Incredible Caleb Wiley statistics vs Hull
Like Watford fans mentioned, Wiley delivered a player of the match performance on Tuesday evening.
The athletic left-back showed a bit of everything in his game with a dominant contribution.
| Minutes played | Assists | Accurate passes | Chances created | Successful dribbles | Clearances | Interceptions | Duels won | Match rating |
| 90 | 1 | 32/40 (80%) | 2 | 3/3 (100%) | 5 | 1 | 8 | 8.2 |
There are so many youngsters with potential owned by Chelsea performing out on loan right now, so it’s up to the club’s decision makers to decide if any can help them out next season.
Without a doubt, Andrey Santos is a Blues loanee who stands out as good enough for them already because of his form at Strasbourg. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Santos is earmarked for Chelsea’s squad next season.
In the case of Wiley, it’ll be interesting to see whether the United States international will benefit most from more time out on loan or not.
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