Billy Gilmour is out to prove a point at Norwich City

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Billy Gilmour has joined Norwich City on a season-long loan from Chelsea looking to further solidify his position as the Blues’ brightest young prospect.

The newly-promoted Norwich City have moved early in the transfer window and secured the signature of Gilmour for the upcoming campaign as they look to maintain their Premier League status.

The 20-year-old midfielder has made 22 first-team appearances for Chelsea since breaking into the squad in 2019, and despite the lack of experience, the Scotsman has impressed whenever given the opportunity for the club.

Norwich will be hoping he can continue to show the talent that has been evident from a young age which made  Chelsea sign the youngster from Rangers in 2017.

Is Gilmour unhappy?

The Scotsman added another Man of the Match award to his trophy cabinet in his debut at the European Championships against England.

Unfortunately for Gilmour, he could not continue his form further and carry Scotland into the knockout stages of the tournament due to contracting COVID-19.

However, the Man of the Match display came as no surprise as the Scotsman has received the award on his debuts in the Champions League, Premier League and the FA Cup.

In any normal scenario, such levels of consistency would find a player a guaranteed spot on the team sheet, however, at Chelsea, there is an abundance of midfield talent that has caused difficulty for Gilmour to find a regular starting place.

In Thomas Tuchel’s preferred formation there is space for two holding midfielders and with world-class players such as N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic ready to occupy those spots, minutes on a football pitch have understandably become limited for the talented academy star.

Yet that is not to say that Chelsea does not value the prospect they have in their realms as Tuchel and former manager Frank Lampard have spoken in glowing terms about Gilmour on several occasions. Both opted to retain the midfielder in their squads during the previous two campaigns due to the congested fixture lists and higher potential of injuries.

However, Gilmour has now reached a crossroads in his career where he has shown on several occasions that he can step up to the plate when called upon, but the Scotsman has not been given enough opportunities to warrant staying patient.

Further concerns come as limited game time could stunt the growth of Gilmour who has been dubbed the Scottish Xavi and Iniesta.

Risk and Reward Factor

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A loan move to Norwich has been arranged and could be the ideal scenario for both teams.

The Canaries have gained a talented midfielder who has proven when given the chance that he can dictate proceedings from the middle of the park. Chelsea can continue to see the development of their brightest young prospect without it directly hurting their ambitions for the league title, while Gilmour is expected to thrive in whichever team he plays for with the loan move itself coming with many risks.

Despite showing interest in the player, minutes aren’t guaranteed at any side and must be earned. There have been many Chelsea midfielders alike from West London who have chosen a similar path to Gilmour and it did not work out for them.

Oriol Romeu, Marco van Ginkel and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have all been highly rated Chelsea midfielders who were sent out on loan to continue their development but ended up stalling their careers by struggling to make an impact for the teams they joined.

The struggle for many youngsters when leaving a top-six side for another top-flight team is that they are expected to make more use of the ball while having less possession and control of the game.

Whereas in the academies and the cameo appearances for the first team, these youngsters are playing for a team that is used to dominating possession and having teams sit off them.

Instead, the roles of the loanees are predominantly to remain disciplined and hold their shape rather than being expected to express themselves on the ball without the worry of losing it.

It is all about learning aspects of the full game, however many struggle to make their desired impact and cannot create the highlight-reel clips that will eventually open their parent club’s eyes to the possibility of introducing them back into the starting 11 on a regular basis.

For Gilmour, it’s another case of sink or swim. However, the Scotsman is more well-suited to Norwich than a vast number of Premier League outfits.

The Canaries sprinted to the Championship title playing fast expansive football which will suit Gilmour and allow him to try and dictate the pace of whatever match he partakes in.

Norwich’s impressive nature of their promotion campaign has seen star man Emi Buendia sign for Aston Villa this summer.

Despite this Gilmour still has the likes of Teemu Pukki and Todd Cantwell in front of him and those players will definitely benefit from the Scotsman’s calmness on the ball no matter the opposition.

Gilmour has an uncanny awareness of what is around him and very rarely seems phased in possession.

Despite his diminutive figure, the 19-year-old is not afraid to get physical and throws himself into challenges which were demonstrated in his FA Cup debut against Liverpool where he dominated the experienced Fabinho in the middle of the park.

The doggedness of his character will certainly benefit Norwich, however, Gilmour must be wary of falling out of the spotlight and becoming just another Chelsea prospect that disappeared off the radar.

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