Patrick Bamford and the Chelsea Loan Players Set to Break Through in 2015

Chelsea have an incredible 26 players on loan right now—enough for an entire first-team squad to compete in the four competitions the club still finds itself in this season.

In fact, that number was 27 until Fernando Torres made his move permanent to AC Milan this week, later joining Atletico Madrid in a swap loan for Alessio Cerci.

Similar to Torres, the likes of Marko Marin, Gael Kakuta and Ryan Bertrand are unlikely to feature in the club's colours again, but there are plenty of youngsters catching the eye and who will be hopeful Jose Mourinho has seen enough to give them a chance at Stamford Bridge.

Bleacher Report looks at Chelsea's top five loan prospects.

Thorgan Hazard

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The Premier League has a history of playing host to brotherly duos, the most recent being Yaya and Kolo Toure during their time together at Manchester City.

Indeed, Chelsea themselves are no strangers to fielding a first XI that has featured brothers—the Harris and Wilkins brothers of the 1960s and 1970s are just two that spring to mind.

Can the Hazards, Eden and Thorgan, be the next to join those ranks?

Currently on loan at German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, Thorgan is certainly trying his best.

The 21-year-old Belgian has enjoyed a bright first half of the campaign, picking up four assists and one goal in his 15 appearances.

Operating in attacking midfield, he is developing into an exciting player who looks capable of emulating his brother's achievements in the early stages of his career.

The question for Hazard Jr. is who he would usurp for a starting berth in this Chelsea team.

His brother's place certainly seems safe, as does Oscar's. Outside of that pair, things aren't as certain at Stamford Bridge, so if he keeps his form going, Hazard could well have Andre Schurrle, Willian and Mohamed Salah looking over their shoulder.

Nathaniel Chalobah

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Don't be fooled by Nathaniel Chalobah's recent lack of playing time at Burnley; the Chelsea youngster remains a talented prospect who is highly rated at Chelsea.

He's been unfortunate that injury delayed his progress early into his switch to Turf Moor, but whenever he has featured, Chalobah hasn't looked out of place.

Perhaps joining a team struggling for points wasn't the wisest move, though, as manager Sean Dyche has had to be pragmatic of late to get points on the board, meaning the inexperienced Chalobah has been benched.

At Watford in 2012/13, Chalobah looked promising, and two loan spells last year at Nottingham Forest and then Middlesbrough have also aided his development.

Chelsea have big hopes for him and as the season develops, so too should Dyche's faith in his ability to deliver.

Oriol Romeu

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Quite what Oriol Romeu is doing on loan when John Obi Mikel remains at Chelsea is a mystery.

The Spaniard signed a new contract at Stamford Bridge last summer, outlining the club's commitment to him.

He is strong, can tackle and above all else, has a fine football brain that is demonstrated by his ability with the ball at his feet.

The same cannot be said for Mikel, but then that's another conversation for another time.

Romeu is a classy operator in the midfield pivot and looks like the ideal foil for Nemanja Matic—either as a partnership or replacement when the Serbian is unavailable.

He is showing his quality on loan with Stuttgart right now and the fact he cannot get a game at Stamford Bridge is an encouraging sign for just how strong Chelsea actually are.

Romeu has picked up five bookings in his 15 Bundesliga games this season, so there are areas to work on with regard to his discipline, but that is being hyper-critical.

He is an excellent player who should be part of Mourinho's plans heading towards the 2015/16 campaign.

Bertrand Traore

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After impressing on trial during Chelsea's summer tour of 2013, Bertrand Traore soon joined the Blues, but we haven't seen much of him in west London since.

He's currently on loan at Chelsea's unofficial "feeder club" Vitesse Arnhem and by all accounts, his progress is continuing in the way Jose Mourinho would have hoped.

Still only 19 years old, the Burkina Faso midfielder is proving quite the goal threat, scoring six goals for his temporary employers in the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup.

It's stats like that which will make Mourinho take notice, especially as his best form has come heading into the winter break.

Traore has scored five goals in his last three matches, a run of form that includes a brace against Ajax after Vitesse thrashed the Dutch giants 4-0 in Amsterdam.

He's clearly not afraid of playing against the big guns and it's that approach that will see Traore become a star of the game.

Patrick Bamford

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Right now, Patrick Bamford is looking like the jewel in the crown of Chelsea's on-loan talent.

Back in the Championship, this time with Middlesbrough, he is helping Aitor Karanka's team keep their promotion hopes alive.

Bamford already has eight goals in 19 appearances—a scoring record any striker would be happy with.

He's building on the promising loan spells we have seen in the past where he scored goals for MK Dons and Derby County.

Between early November and mid-December, Bramford outlined what a goal threat he is when he found the back of the net in six of the seven games he played.

It's no coincidence Boro remained undefeated in that time, either.

Now 21, Bamford is beginning to mature into quite the striker and fits the Chelsea bill: he is young, talented and can score goals.

It is maybe a season too early for him to be considered by Jose Mourinho, but in 2015/16 we shouldn't be surprised if he is given the chance as a backup to Diego Costa.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.