Chelsea Defend Loan Policy After Fiorentina Launch Mohamed Salah FIFA Complaint

Premier League champions Chelsea have defended their loan policy following Fiorentina's launch of an official complaint to FIFA over the transfer of Mohamed Salah to Roma.

The Blues have 33 players currently out on short-term spells at other clubs, and they have come under scrutiny for potential "abuse" of the loan system, per BBC Sport's Alistair Magowan.

Salah is just one of the Chelsea players out on loan. He moved to Roma for a season-long spell in August after spending the second half of last term at Fiorentina.

The Florentine outfit are not happy that the 23-year-old Egyptian is now playing for one of their Serie A rivals and have complained to FIFA for an alleged breach of contract, as revealed by a spokesperson for the governing body, per the Press Association (via the Guardian): "We can confirm having received a claim from the Italian club, ACF Fiorentina, against the English club, Chelsea FC, and the player, Mohamed Salah Ghaly, for breach of contract. The matter is still pending and being investigated."

Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo has defended the club's loan strategy and insists that others will follow suit in due course, per Chelsea TV (h/t Vaishali Bhardwaj in the Evening Standard): "In our conversations with the FA, we know they are happy for these young players to go abroad and get these experiences they cannot be offered and are not available with Championship and Premier League teams. Others will follow the loan programme and start doing the same."

Meanwhile, Blues manager Jose Mourinho responded to the FIFA complaint in typically sarcastic fashion, per BBC Sport: "I'm happy that FIFA has time for other things in the middle of such grey weather around them."

The majority of the players loaned out by Chelsea are academy and youth players, but the Blues have also sent a number of the first-team squad away temporarily. Reddit (h/t PaddyPower) provided a comprehensive map:

January signing Juan Cuadrado has been shipped out to Juventus, Marco van Ginkel to Stoke and Victor Moses to West Ham United.

Moses joined the Stamford Bridge outfit in 2012, and his move to the Hammers is his third loan spell following periods at Liverpool and Stoke City.

Although Emenalo insists Moses keeps being loaned out in order to "play more football to get to the level we think he can get to," the 24-year-old is unlikely to ever become a key part of the Blues starting XI, per Chelsea TV (h/t the Press Association, via the Guardian).

Similarly, Salah, despite impressing in Florence with six goals and three assists in 16 games, did not do enough to earn the right to compete for a first-team place in west London.

It remains to be seen if Chelsea's loan strategy will come under further scrutiny following the complaint from Fiorentina over Salah.