Harvey Vale becomes the latest addition to Bristol Rovers' growing list of successful loanees

Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Roma and Bristol Rovers. What do these clubs have in common you may ask? They're all destinations of some of Chelsea's loanees this season. However, the club that has been able to provide the most minutes to their loanee isn't one with European titles or worldwide fame. It's one that has continued building itself a positive reputation for taking exciting youngsters on loan to play in the Football League. That is, of course, Rovers.

Harvey Vale's time with the Gas this season can only be reflected upon in a positive light. At the time of writing, the 20-year-old currently tops the chart of minutes handed to Chelsea loanees this season, according to Transfermarkt. With one game left this season, Vale's currently total stands at 3,451 while striker Romelu Lukaku's is 3,418, although the Belgian is expected to end the campaign back on top given that the Italian outfit still have six Serie A matches left to play as well as a two-legged Europa League semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen.

Regardless, the versatile forward has represented his parent club excellently while being the latest member of Rovers' ever-growing catalogue of players signed on loan who have shone while wearing the blue-and-white quarters. Elliot Anderson will always be regarded as the best pick, at least out of signings in recent years, with his invaluable contribution towards the Gas' League Two promotion in 2022 before starting to break through into Newcastle United's first team while Jarell Quansah, despite not being a stand out performer last season at Rovers, has done superbly this season, making 28 appearances for Liverpool.

Naturally, Chelsea are known for being a little different when it comes to their loan policy, having as many as 30-odd players out on loan at one time but out of the 17 currently elsewhere for the season, very few, if any, will have enjoyed a more productive loan spell than Vale.

Asked if he has to pinch himself sometimes when looking at the list of names on the Chelsea loan list, the Gas loanee laughed while admitting: "A little bit sometimes. They’ve got some big names in there like Lukaku and [Hakim] Ziyech and to be up there with the minutes and that, yeah I’m just really grateful for it and it’s what I needed.

"When I was thinking about coming here that was the main thing I was pushing for. I just needed to get minutes and at Hull I didn’t get that. I thought it was really vital for me this year to play minutes because if I didn’t I’m not sure what the next step would be. So to come here and get minutes it’s 100 per cent what I needed and I’m so grateful to the club for that.

"When you know that the club’s interest has been there for a long time and they’re super keen, that’s sort of number one in why I picked the club because I knew how keen they were and how much they wanted me and that feeling of being wanted is invaluable really."

As the 20-year-old alluded to, last season's loan spell at Championship side Hull City was the complete opposite of this year's at Rovers in terms of success. Vale made just three appearances for the Tigers before seeing his time at the MKM Stadium cut short as Chelsea recalled the then-teenager that January. Frustratingly for the Gas, whose interest in the youngster dates back to beyond last summer's acquisition, they couldn't take the captain of England's U19 EUROS winners of 2022 on loan for the rest of last season because he of the number of clubs he had already represented, playing for Chelsea U21 in the EFL Trophy.

Former manager Joey Barton remained keen though and led a second swoop for the attacking midfielder last summer, bringing him in just after the season had started. The youngster was unlucky not to score in his home city of London on his Gas debut when coming on as a substitute against Charlton Athletic but was able to celebrate his new team's 98th minute winner, the ideal ice breaker.

With 46 appearances for Rovers this season, likely to finish at 47 after this weekend's final game at Wigan Athletic, Vale has been able to get the most valuable asset to a player of his age and in his position, experience. Goals and assists are nice and you would expect that, with some of the positions he got himself in, that his total of three goals and six assists is one he feels could be higher. But despite coming into the club as a player able to play across the attacking midfield three, it's actually been at left-back where the 20-year-old has shone.

Vale looks set to close out his loan spell in defence having started the past three games back in at left-back and that certainly gives the Chelsea loanee food for thought ahead of whatever's next.

"I’m not really sure to be fair," the versatile youngster admitted when asked what he sees as his best position. "I’ve played a bit of everywhere really. Obviously, I came here as an attacker, played a bit of wing-back and I’ve probably played the majority of my minutes at wing-back this season. But I just want to be on the pitch to be honest, I just want to be playing and that’s where I love football, just on the pitch so I’m not sure what the future holds in that regard.

"I think it helps you with your game as well. Say next season I went and played attack and I’ve played left-back the last few games, I’ll know what the defender’s thinking and it can help me and vice-versa if I’m in defence. It’s all good for my game for sure."

On what is next, the 20-year-old added: "I’m really not sure to be fair. I’m the sort of guy who finishes the season, has a bit of a break and then thinks about it. I think it’s important for me, it’s been a long season, I’ve played a lot of games. I think it’s important for me to rest and see what happens in the summer."

It's not unheard of for Rovers to take previous loanees back, either on loan or on permanent deals, but you would imagine that Vale's next step is of a higher level, be that higher up the table in League One, the Championship or his parent club. However, with the assumption that this season was his only campaign in blue-and-white quarters, the Gas need to ensure that they replace the departing wing-back efficiently because not only are they losing a player who has been a livewire up and down the flank, they're losing a player who's played the second-most minutes in this squad. Only Antony Evans (3,908) has been on the pitch for longer.

In one-v-one duels, Vale has been particularly impressive regardless of where he's played but evidently has an offence-thinking brain with some of the positions that he's picked up. As mentioned above, the crossing is likely to be highlighted as an area for improvement in regards to consistently whipping in the right balls because he is evidently capable. But, if anything, it's how efficiently his tank has run that has impressed the most, particularly in a season where numerous key players have missed large chunks of the campaign with injuries.

Assessing the season as a whole and analysing Rovers as a collective, the general consensus is that the season will be reflected on with a bit of disappointment and frustration given the quality that has been demonstrated in bursts as opposed to streaks. A top half finish is now beyond Matt Taylor's side with a game to go while a hectic summer of recruitment awaits the club ahead of what will no doubt be a more competitive division next term.

For the 20-year-old, this season, in his words, has marked clear progress which was ultimately the whole point of coming down to Rovers for the season.

"We do reviews, the Chelsea loan guys, every week," Vale revealed, "and the difference between the first few games and now, you can see the difference and you can see the improvement and when there’s evidence for that it’s always a good feeling.

"It’s massively different [men's football]. I think it’s sort of taken for granted sometimes, especially when you’re in an academy looking out. It’s a little bit of a bubble and then you step into the real world of proper football. It is difficult, it is hard to adapt. You’re learning on the job all the time and you’re going to make mistakes and thankfully at Rovers, the staff and the players and everyone else have trusted in me after I’ve made mistakes to keep faith in me and I think I’ve come through the other side of it well.

"Throughout the season everyone’s goal was to be pushing for play-offs and you’ve probably seen in interviews throughout the season that the main word is we’re frustrated with ourselves because we know we’ve got the quality, we know we can do it but probably just let ourselves down a little bit at times.

"I’ve really enjoyed my season here. We’ve had some really great memories. Some really good late winners which are always fun, especially in front of the Thatcher’s End. So yeah, I can’t complain. I’ve really enjoyed it."