Former Chelsea striker Tore Andre Flo has said that it has been a successful year for Chelsea’s loan army, thanks in part to head coach Frank Lampard.
The Blues are well known for their use of the system, with 28 players currently playing their football away from Stamford Bridge on a temporary deal.
Flo’s role at Chelsea is to manage the loan programme, which has proved to be valuable to Chelsea’s first team this year.
First-team players Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount have all spent time away from Stamford Bridge in recent seasons and have established themselves in Frank Lampard’s squad this season.
"It has been a great year and Lampard has definitely made our jobs easier,” Flo told Goal.
“I think everyone working for Chelsea are very happy to see these young players coming through and getting the chance.
"They all have surprised us a little bit by making the step up so quickly. But it just goes to show that when you give them a chance, they can take the opportunities. They have definitely done that this season."
One of the players tipped for a bright future at at Chelsea is Conor Gallagher.
The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Championship side Swansea City after spending the first half of the campaign at Charlton.
He has earned rave reviews, scoring six goals and providing nine assists in 36 Championship appearances this season.
"It has been a decent year for us," Flo added. "But in terms of how many players we have in the first team, that will go up and down year-by-year.
"Still, the likes of Conor have been very good. This is his first year as a senior player and he has got a lot of valuable experience by playing football at Championship level, which is great.
"So, he's a very exciting prospect for us."
