Why a new deal for Marco van Ginkel by Chelsea is a bad move

According to Daily Express, Chelsea are close to agreeing on a new deal for Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel.

The 27-year-old has been a forgotten man at Stamford Bridge and has been out of action for two years after suffering a nightmare injury. Van Ginkel has not featured in a single match since undergoing reconstructive surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament back in July 2018.

Despite being on the sidelines for such a long time, Chelsea have agreed to offer Van Ginkel a new deal with his current contract set to expire at the end of this season. The midfielder was almost on the verge of a return back to action, stepping up his rehabilitation at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground before the coronavirus stopped play.

Van Ginkel surplus to requirements at Chelsea

Meanwhile, Van Ginkel moved to Chelsea from Eredivisie outfit Vitesse back in 2013 for a sum of £8million. However, the Dutchman has spent a major share of his time at Chelsea out on loan and on the sidelines due to a series of injuries.

To date, Van Ginkel has made a mere four appearances for the Premier League side. While at Stamford Bridge, Van Ginkel was first sent on loan to AC Milan in 2014. However, his loan stint at Italy was hampered by an ankle problem that saw him make just 18 appearances for the Serie A side.

The following summer, Van Ginkel was offloaded to Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Stoke City, once again on loan, but his season was cut short due to the arrival of Giannelli Imbula.

Despite all these failed loan moves, Van Ginkel finally got a chance to prove his potential in his third loan spell at PSV Eindhoven, whom he joined in February 2016. He became a regular starter for the side, helping them win two Eredivisie titles and even captaining them in the 2017-18 season.

Van Ginkel’s time at PSV was a huge success, as he went on to play 64 matches for them, racking up 31 goals and 10 assists. Hence, there is no doubt that Van Ginkel has talent.

However, it looks like a bad decision from the club as they are already well-stocked in midfield. They currently have Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Ross Barkley, and Billy Gilmour all competing for places in the starting line-up.

With such a bunch of talented midfielders already in the side, Van Ginkel’s chances of breaking into the first-team line-up seem increasingly limited. He would just be surplus to requirements at the club with youngsters like Mount and Gilmour now breaking into the side.

Read more:

• Why Chelsea re-signing Nathan Ake would bolster their defence
• Why a new loan deal for Davide Zappacosta is a wise move by Chelsea
• Chelsea signing 23-year-old English star Ben Chilwell would be quite a boost to a key position

Verdict

Though Van Ginkel has displayed his talent while on loan at PSV, he would be surplus to requirements. Neither has he been able to break into the side all these years and now when the club is filled with enough talents in its midfield, a new deal limited seems totally pointless.