Chelsea’s use of the loan market is an approach that can be used to both fire digs at the club or to praise the west Londoners.

Indeed, the Blues unashamedly send a whole host of young players away from the club on an annual basis – 36 this season – allowing them to keep their finger in the pie, so to speak, in terms of talent coming good, while also boosting the values of players they have little intention of ever giving a first-team berth to.

As a result of this, the current league leaders have been able to field Thibaut Courtois – who came through during three seasons at Atletico Madrid – and operate with a respectable net spend over the past few years, despite splashing over £100m last summer.

This got us thinking: which of the club’s current loan army deserve a chance back at Stamford Bridge next season?

Well, we asked you guys to vote and we can now reveal the FIVE loanees fans want back at Chelsea in time for 2017/18…

5) Mario Pasalic

Signed in 2014 from Hajduk Split in his Croatian homeland, Pasalic is yet to make a competitive outing for the Blues and is currently on loan at AC Milan – he’s spent the last two seasons with Elche and Monaco. Given that he’ll be 22 before this week is out, the midfielder is very much at a crossroads in terms of his Chelsea career, with it unlikely that his time in west London will amount to anything other than another couple of loan switches and a transfer if he cannot win over the club’s scouts before the end of the campaign. Alas, the fans want to see him get a go.

4) Tomas Kalas

Parachuted in for the game in which Chelsea ended Liverpool’s title hopes in 2013/14 with a win at Anfield, Kalas was tipped at the time to be a real star at Stamford Bridge by now. The Czech centre-back came in amid a spate of injuries and helped his side silence the prolific Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling triumvirate and didn’t look out of place despite it being his league debut.

He’s since only made one more appearance in the Prem, with loan spells at Koln, Middlesbrough and now Fulham having followed, and he’s failed to really make an the sort of impact with any of these clubs to buy himself a route into Antonio Conte’s plans. Despite this, Blues fans remember him fondly, and with John Terry likely to move on this summer, there is the slim chance of a recall.

3) Bertrand Traore

There were few shining lights at Chelsea in 2015/16, but Traore was one of them. The Burkina Faso international was given plenty of game time by stand-in boss Guus Hiddink during the closing months of the campaign – he was often selected ahead of Alexandre Pato – and made ten league outings all total, netting twice.

He’s since left to join Ajax on loan for the current campaign, but there’s every chance he would have been kept on board had there been European football in west London this term, which bodes well for next term – even if his underwhelming four Eredivisie goals in 13 appearances this term don’t.

2) Tammy Abraham

16 goals in the Championship at this stage of the season is some return, and his age (19) and the fact that Bristol City are near the relegation zone make Abraham’s form in the West Country all the more impressive. The teenager has long been talked about as one of the finest youth products at Chelsea and looks to be fulfilling that potential upon being given regular, competitive football, which is a great sign.

With a 6ft. 4” frame and real pace, Abraham has the tools, even if he is a bit raw, and supporters certainly think he has what it takes.

1) Andreas Christensen

In at number one we have Christensen, who really does look a shoo-in for a role at Chelsea next season. The Dane has been excellent during his two-season loan spell in the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach, and his much-awaited return will likely coincide with John Terry’s retirement.

Good on the ball but defensively astute, Christensen will surely give the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill and David Luiz serious competition and provide the sort of depth the Londoners will need to balance being back in the Champions League with a likely title defence.

CLICK ON TO REVEAL THE FULL LIST OF LOANEES CHELSEA FANS WANT BACK

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