Chelsea's 18-year-old creative midfielder, Jeremie Boga, has joined Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais on a season-long loan deal, as the talented teen seeks regular first-team football in a competitive league after his Academy successes over the past few years.
Having completed his medical yesterday, he was unveiled as a loan signing shortly afterward, and will wear the number 17 shirt during his tenure. There is also an option in his contract to buy, but according to reports, that's been purposely set "very high", even though he's only got twelve months left on his current contract.
The Frenchman, born in Marseille, has enjoyed his progression through the youth ranks in west London and was promoted to the under-21's side last term, after a plethora of impressive displays in the under-18 team in the 2013/14 campaign.
Boga angling for first-team action elsewhere
The versatile teenager, who can play as a winger and also as the supporting striker in a two-forward formation, made a combined total of 24 appearances in the U21 Premier League and UEFA Youth League for Adi Viveash's side, as they finished five points off top spot in the division behind champions Manchester United and Liverpool.
He was part of the team that were crowned winners of the prestigious UEFA Youth League tournament, and Boga is another of the youngsters involved to have been loaned out in search of regular football elsewhere. The dynamic duo of Isaiah Brown and Dominic Solanke, both of which were instrumental in helping the Blues to secure European glory, have already been tied down to loan spells at Eredivisie side Vitesse Arnhem - to continue their development away from Stamford Bridge.
Boga's loan move has plenty of positives attached
Boga's loan move does not come as a surprise. He's a talented player with plenty of potential, and is one of the club's brightest talents to emerge from their youth ranks - but his temporary departure also gives the opportunity for the likes of Kasey Palmer, Ruben Sammut and Hubert Adamczyk to flourish in a more attacking role, with more opportunities in the under-21's set-up.
It also highlights the fact that he's rated highly at the club, because with a positive loan spell out in his native France, he'll hope to establish his credentials for a possible role in José Mourinho's first-team next term, just like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kurt Zouma have asserted themselves as first-team mainstays in recent months.