"He needs to discover this monster in him and unleash this on a regular basis because it is absolutely necessary," said Thomas Tuchel at the end of April when discussing Ruben Loftus-Cheek. "It is not enough to be just on the pitch.
"It might if you regard his last years, it may seem as a first step, good that he is a regular, but I am not happy because this is not enough. We cannot let him think it is enough, he needs to constantly push himself to the limit."
That's kind of been the story of Loftus-Cheek at Chelsea. There is clearly something there, the "monster" as Tuchel eluded to, and we've seen it numerous times over the year. It needs to be shown on a more regular basis, however, for the 26-year-old to take the much-needed next step forward.
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This summer is a huge period in Loftus-Cheek's career. With just over two years remaining on his contract with Chelsea, there has been plenty of interest in the Cobham graduate.
football.london has been told there is genuine interest from Serie A clubs in a permanent deal for Loftus-Cheek. At the moment, the midfielder is earning £150,000-a-week at Chelsea and that could prove a stumbling block in any deal to sign him. The likelihood is that Loftus-Cheek would have to take a cut on what he earns at the moment.
From Loftus-Cheek's point of view, there is no immediate rush to move on from the Blues over the summer. He is understood to have a good relationship with Tuchel and is happy with his role at the club right now. With the right offer, though, that could all change. Chelsea may be tempted to sell their academy graduate should they receive a fee that is too good to turn down.
"Yes, I do believe he could be a success in Italy," former Chelsea right-back Glen Johnson told bettingodds.com. "I think he’s got a big decision to make because he needs to kick on. He’s always shown ability and he’s obviously a good player, but he’s never really hit the heights that people expected of him.
"I think he now needs to make a decision and really stamp authority on his own career and that might be abroad. I certainly think that style of play would suit him."
Loftus-Cheek made 24 appearances in the Premier League for Chelsea over the recently-concluded 2021/22 season. There were some superb performances in there, but they were ultimately few and far between.
With the likes of Conor Gallagher and possibly Billy Gilmour returning to the club over the summer and potentially fighting for a place in the middle of the Chelsea team next season, there is set to be even more competition for Loftus-Cheek. There is also, of course, the chance Chelsea will bring in a new central midfielder before the window closes.
It's a huge stage in Loftus-Cheek's career. He may be content with life at Chelsea right now, but in football that can all change so quickly.
