3 Chelsea Players Who Would Benefit from a Loan Move for 2016/17

It's no secret that Chelsea have exploited the loan market in recent seasons. Only last year the Blues had over 30 players out on loan at clubs across Europe.

That number was made up of first-team players, but the large bulk came from the youth team as Chelsea attempted to give their emerging stars more time to establish themselves.

If we look at how the likes of Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne have benefited from loan spells away from Chelsea in recent years, it's clear the policy is working. Chelsea are creating first-team players, but they are also making money by selling on those who are deemed surplus to requirements.

With so many players remaining on the books, we can expect those on the fringes and coming through the academy to be sent out on loan again this year. Of all those who will, which players need a loan move the most? Who will see the benefits as they attempt to become bona fide first-team stars?

Bleacher Report identifies three Chelsea players who stand to gain plenty from a temporary transfer in 2016/17.

Charlie Colkett

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When discussing Chelsea's emerging youth-team players, Charlie Colkett isn't always the first name that springs to mind. It's the goalscorers and up-and-coming defensive talents that steal the conversation.

Despite being captain of the under-19s as they lifted the UEFA Youth League last season, Colkett seems to go under the radar somewhat. It's a crying shame as the midfielder is a supreme footballer.

When speaking to Bleacher Report on the back of Chelsea's 2015 FA Youth Cup success, Colkett spoke of how he has been influenced by Cesc Fabregas at Chelsea.

"I love trying to pull strings and we had an amazing night tonight," he said after defeating Manchester City to lift the cup. "The way [Fabregas] controls the game and dictates the tempo of a game is what I like to do and that’s what I try to do when I’m playing.

"I see [Fabregas] firsthand when I train with the first team and I’m learning from these top-class players, taking what I can.

"They show me what I need to be doing every day. You see how good [Fabregas] is on the ball and [I'm trying] to learn from that."

Colkett has learned plenty in training with Chelsea's first team. Now he needs to learn by playing with the Chelsea first team, only a congested midfield area is unlikely to see him breakthrough in the next 12 months. Colkett needs a loan move to add to that development.

This is where it gets tricky for Chelsea. Colkett is a player with a specific set of skills, so it's vital the Blues find him the right sort of club. It would be a pointless endeavour to send him out to a side that doesn't play through the midfield as that will mean bypassing Colkett.

Team moves have to go through him otherwise there's little value in having Colkett in the team. His game is about being the playmaker, not defending in the middle and screening the back four.

Where Chelsea failed with Josh McEachran, they can't with Colkett. Both players are alike in how they try to move the ball and where they play, only McEachran suffered from frustrating loan spells with clubs that didn't suit him.

Colkett is at the stage now where a loan move will benefit him as he gains experience. He just needs the right club in order to develop his game.

Kasey Palmer

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The 19-year-old is looking like one of the most promising players coming out of Chelsea's academy. His performances in the UEFA Youth League last term were particularly impressive, with his goals in the semi-final and final sealing Chelsea the trophy.

Palmer has shown himself to have moved beyond youth-team football now. He is too old to play in the FA Youth Cup, while his age also dictates there will be no repeat of his exploits in Europe.

That means it's just the prospect of junior football in the under-21s Premier League that he has to look forward to if new manager Antonio Conte doesn't give him game time with the first-team. Considering the likes of Lewis Baker are not only older and more experienced, but ahead of Palmer in his development, the youngster is going to be a long way down the pecking order.

Spending a season playing youth-team football isn't enough for him, though. Palmer would be wasting his talent and time. He needs to be playing senior football to continue his progress, which means a temporary move away from Stamford Bridge is ideal.

The instant reaction would be to suggest him joining Vitesse Arnhem, following in the footsteps of Izzy Brown, Dominic Solanke and Baker last season. That trio, along with Brazilian Nathan, enjoyed a productive campaign in Holland, so there's every reason to suggest Chelsea's strong relationship with the Dutch side could prove equally beneficial for Palmer.

That said, with his physicality and neat footwork, Palmer would be ideal for the Championship. We've seen Patrick Bamford become a big success in the lower leagues of English football while on loan, as was Baker with Sheffield Wednesday and MK Dons.

Everything about Palmer screams first-team football now. He's served his apprenticeship in the junior ranks, and now Chelsea must allow him to be tested at senior level. If that isn't going to happen at Stamford Bridge in 2016/17, Palmer needs to go elsewhere for the season.

Matt Miazga

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From a promising debut against Aston Villa to a torrid 45 minutes against Swansea City a week later, Matt Miazga's introduction to Premier League football last term came with mixed results.

Being a product of Major League Soccer, naysayers will immediately suggest he isn't talented enough to cut it at the highest level in England, especially with a club of Chelsea's stature. It's a view more about snobbish attitudes than it is based on fact.

The truth with Miazga is that we simply do not know how good he is. The American has played just 135 minutes of first-team football for Chelsea, which is hardly enough to judge him. He needs time to adjust and adapt to the pace of the English game having first been nurtured in a more laborious style stateside.

What Miazga did show during his time with New York Red Bulls is that he can hack the physical side of the game every centre-back must. He is a towering figure at the back and physically looks strong and capable. It's his ability as a footballer where the question marks are. Does he have good positional sense? Can he read the game? Is he astute enough?

Guus Hiddink gave Miazga just two games to prove himself last season and halfway through his second outing, Miazga was hooked at the interval. John Obi Mikel took his place and not since then have we seen him in a Chelsea shirt.

The Blues played six more games in the season and despite defensive shortages, Miazga was never used by Hiddink again, which doesn't say much about highly he is rated.

So what is Antonio Conte inheriting? Well, a player who needs game time to prove himself. Given the changes at Chelsea this summer, and the need for Conte to make an immediate impact to transform the club's fortunes, the manager can't rely on unknown defenders to do that. Chelsea do not boast the strength of old at the back, so Conte will looking to shore things up with experienced faces.

For Miazga to build his confidence and self-belief that he belongs at Chelsea, he's best off moving elsewhere in the Premier League for 2016/17. His compatriot DeAndre Yedlin has done that, spending last year on loan from Tottenham Hotspur at Sunderland.

Had Yedlin remained at White Hart Lane in 2015/16, he would've hardly featured such was Kyle Walker's form. Instead he can now boast over 20 appearances in the top flight and is becoming a better player for it.

Miazga must give himself a similar boost. He can train at Chelsea and learn from the likes of John Terry, but to be playing regularly will be of much more benefit.

Chelsea's task this summer should be to find him the right club in England to assist his progress as right now, the environment at Stamford Bridge isn't the right one for him.

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