Chelsea defender Alfie Gilchrist, looks set to head to the Championship with Sheffield United, Preston and Millwall interested in taking the 20-year-old on loan, reports Darren Witcoop.
The defender, who mainly plays as a centre-back, or as a right-back, is a boyhood Chelsea fan who has been at the club since he was 11.
Last season saw the London-born defender break into the Blues’ first team as he made 17 appearances in all competitions and scored one goal for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Chelsea fans saw Gilchrist as a breath of fresh air due to his aggressive defending and noticeable passion for the club, something that had gone missing in the previous 18 months.
As a reward for his promising performances, the Chelsea board gave the number 42 a new two-year contract, with an option to extend the deal for a further year.
Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United are returning to the Championship after a disappointing 12-month stint in the Premier League and without the experienced centre-back duo of Chris Basham and John Egan, both of whom left the club on a free transfer.
Wilder appears to be trying to rejuvenate the defence by signing younger players like Sam McCallum and Jamie Shackleton and the Yorkshire side are also heavily rumoured to be signing Peterborough United captain Harrison Burrows. Gilchrist would certainly fit in with this transfer policy.
Preston North End are coming out of yet another upper mid-table finish in the second tier after a disappointing end to the campaign which saw Ryan Lowe’s side lose their final five games.
During this run, the Lilywhites conceded 11 goals, nine of which were against fellow promotion chasers Southampton, West Brom and Leicester . If Ryan Lowe’s side finally want to push into the playoff places, they are going to need to be more defensively solid and Gilchrist playing on the right of a back three could help with that.
Millwall finished three places below Preston last season but the Lions will take much more momentum into the forthcoming campaign after a good end to the season under Neil Harris.
Unlike Sheffield United and Preston, Millwall are likely to employ a back four in the Championship this season which could give Gilchrist more opportunities to play as he could be used at centre-back and at right-back.
Writer’s View
Although Gilchrist did not get a consistent run in the Chelsea team last season, he proved his quality when on the pitch and should be a top signing for any Championship club.
Millwall is closest to home for the young defender, but he will be competing against the likes of Japhet Tanganga and Jake Cooper for a regular spot in the starting eleven.
Preston North End may be able to offer Gilchrist a good amount of playing time. But, without further recruitment, the rest of their squad might not be able to compete at the very top of the Championship.
Sheffield United look like they will be able to offer Gilchrist more minutes and their recruitment signals the start of an exciting new era at the club which the Chelsea man should look to make himself a part of as it could lead to him being at Bramall Lane in the Premier League in two seasons.
