As reported recently, Chelsea’s prodigious young Scottish talent, Billy Gilmour, is on the move. Having impressed at Wembley Stadium for his nation team, completing over 90% of his passes, Gilmour was quick to become a key name bandied around Premier League transfer discussions. With precious little first-team game time on offer at Stamford Bridge, both player and club have decided that a loan move might be the best option for everyone.
The loan is now signed and sealed, with Gilmour heading on loan to Norwich City. The newly promoted Premier League side already have a few Scots playing, with Grant Hanley and Kenny McLean regulars in the starting eleven. As such, we could see Gilmour settle in quickly. Add in that he will be playing for a coach with excellent developmental skills in Daniel Farke, and it is easy to see why there is so much optimism around the loan move.
For Chelsea, arguably their brightest young talent is likely to play at least 20 games in the Premier League. It will also allow him to get used to playing regularly and the demands of winning every week, which can only help with the future of the star.
Gilmour was spotted at the training ground for Norwich on Thursday, with the deal announced on Friday morning. The chance of a full season of regular first team action was seen as too good to be true. Add in the attacking style of Farke, and it is clear that Gilmour will be settling into a situation that can only benefit him when it comes to long-term development and improvement.
When will Billy Gilmour return to Chelsea?
As the loan deal is for a full season, Gilmour will not return until the end of the 2021-22 season. This would provide both player and the two clubs with the opportunity to further appraise the situation next year. However, there are no reports that Chelsea would even consider permanently selling one of the most exciting talents in their burgeoning academy.
Speaking about the move to Norwich, Gilmour said: “I’ve been looking forward to coming here, playing as much as possible and helping Norwich City compete in the Premier League. I spoke to the head coach [Daniel Farke]. He called me and we had a nice talk about how he wants to play and how he sees me fitting in.
“Everything he said was what I want to do on the pitch, get the ball down and play nice football. He spoke really highly of his team and I wanted to come here and help.”
Farke believes that the clubs record of player development, including the likes of Todd Cantwell and Emi Buendia, represents a reason why the Canaries were chosen, saying: “I think it helped that in the past we have shown that young players with potential are in good hands here at Norwich City,”
“We are delighted to bring Billy in because we’ve lost some players in that area. We’re looking to improve our options, particularly in the centre of the park, and for that we’re happy to bring Billy in.”
