After a brilliant debut against Liverpool last season, Tomas Kalas was expected to be a key player for Chelsea in the upcoming campaign. However, it looks as if he may not have a future at the club after all. The club have announced that the 21-year-old has joined German outfit Cologne on season-long loan deal.
The Czech Republic defender is no stranger to loans spells after having spent two seasons at our feeder club, Vitesse Arnhem. A statement on Chelsea’s official site read:
“Chelsea Football Club and FC Cologne have agreed a season-long loan for Tomas Kalas which will begin on 1 July.”
Cologne have recently been promoted to the German top division. They are expected to struggle against relegation in the coming campaign. It is still unclear why Chelsea think that the player will progress at such a club rather than getting opportunities at a title challenging team like Chelsea.
If it was due to the lack of opportunities, his situation might improve in the coming campaign after the sale of David Luiz. The departure of Kalas means that John Terry, Gary Cahill, and Branislav Ivanovic are the players capable of playing in central defence. It remains to be seen if our January signing Kurt Zouma will stay only once again or leave on loan.
