It spoke volumes that Chelsea did not allow Harvey Vale to leave on loan on deadline day despite interest from Championship side Huddersfield Town.
Chelsea has done good business loaning out players to The Terriers this season, with Levi Colwill excelling for Carlos Corberán in the Championship.
Tino Anjorin did join Colwill instead of Vale as the 20-year-old hopes to experience a more fruitful loan in the remaining months of the campaign after suffering a broken metatarsal at Lokomotiv Moscow.
Part of the reasoning for Vale's loan offer being rejected is that Thomas Tuchel highly rated the Cobham graduate, but his contract situation may have also played its part.
On Tuesday morning, The Athletic revealed that Vale held fresh talks with Chelsea last week, and they are believed to have been positive, although no deal is agreed.
The report says that if Vale signs a new deal, he will follow the regular path of academy talent by going on loan to a Championship or European club.
That was the case for both Levi Colwill and Armando Broja last summer, extending their stay at Stamford Bridge before getting the chance to gain valuable competitive minutes elsewhere.
Hopefully, keeping ahold of Vale will avoid him becoming another Tariq Lamptey or Tino Livramento. In recent years, the two decided to leave by not agreeing to a new contract and not seeing a route to first-team football at Chelsea.
Both feel like players the club might have found useful over the past month as both Reece James and Ben Chilwell have gone down injured.
In December, Vale made his senior debut in the Carabao Cup against Brentford and then got two substitute appearances in the following round against Spurs and the FA Cup third-round win over Chesterfield.
There is a very good chance the young midfielder will feature in the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, where Tuchel will be expected to rotate ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The call to keep Vale should do with reports of Tuchel's admiration to help integrate him into first-team matters even further for the remaining months of this season.
Especially over very sporadic figures like Ross Barkley who failed to get a rumoured move away from the club in January.
With only 24 minutes of action to his name in 2022 so far and no Premier League minutes since the 1-1 draw against his old club Everton in December, Barkley is highly unlikely to have a long-term future under Tuchel.
Even with links to Everton and Newcastle, no offer came in, and the £11m valued (via TransferMarkt) 28-year-old will stay put.
It would suit Tuchel and Chelsea to gift as many minutes to Vale as he integrates into the first-team environment. It would also prove to him the club are serious in wanting to keep him.
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