Chelsea striker set for loan: Derby County and Preston North End must push to seal deal | OneFootball

Chelsea's Shim Mheuka, the reigning PL2 player of the season, is set for his first campaign out on loan

One of Chelsea's bright young prospects is being touted for his first loan move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, with Championship sides said to be interested.

18-year-old Shim Mheuka arrived at the Premier League giants back in 2022, and over the past four years, he has been a potent frontman in the Blues' youth system.

Last year was a real breakout campaign for the youngster, though, scoring 17 in 17 PL2 games, alongside five in six UEFA Youth League outings, too.

He won the PL2's Player of the Season, an award that has the likes of Liam Delap, James McAtee and Will Lankshear as its winners in the past six seasons, so the future is very bright for the 2007-born star.

Shim Mheuka looks set for his first loan spell out of Chelsea this season

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According to the BBC's Chelsea reporter, Nizaar Kinsella, Mheuka is set to be awarded a long-term contract until 2033 and will be sent out on loan shortly afterwards for the 2026/27 campaign.

The 18-year-old has made nine senior appearances already for Chelsea, four of which came in their successful UEFA Conference League campaign in the 2024/25 term. He made two appearances last year - in the FA Cup against Hull City and the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur.

Following a Player of the Season campaign at Under-21 level, it's evident that he's ready to take his next steps and have a full year of senior football under his belt, and clubs across Europe and the Championship are hoping to bring him in.

If it is to be the English second tier that Mheuka spends the upcoming campaign in, these two sides should be looking to land him.

Derby County

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Derby County have a slight dilemma at the top end of the pitch heading into the new season.

Star man and last summer's marquee signing Patrick Agyemang won't be featuring until 2027 at the earliest as he still recovers from the Achilles injury he picked up back in April, so the question stands whether John Eustace will stick with what he has, or look to upgrade.

Carlton Morris and Rhian Brewster are sound options at the top end of the pitch, but both of them spent time on the sidelines last year, too. If a new striker is to come to Pride Park this summer, a loan could be optimal, and Mheuka could be a great option.

Derby showed last season with the loan spells of Bobby Clark, David Ozoh and Jaydon Banel that they can be a club that can oversee good development of young talents on loan, and the Rams also benefited from Chelsea loanees back during the Frank Lampard era.

If the Blues want to send their 18-year-old star to a club expected to challenge for the play-offs this season, Pride Park could be the ideal destination. He'd battle with a strong group of strikers for the starting spot, which could be beneficial to his growth.

Preston North End

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However, there would be some doubts that Derby may be a step too far for a first loan spell, and what Mheuka needs is consistent game time at Championship level to improve, regardless of the club's ambitions.

Preston North End may be tipped by critics to struggle at the bottom of the table, but the loan signing of Mheuka could tip the scales back in their favour, as it would provide them with a much-needed exciting presence up front.

Like Derby, Preston showed last year that they're a club capable of bringing emerging young players in on loan and getting the best out of them.

Harrison Armstrong was one of the best midfielders in the division in the first half of the season, while Lewis Dobbin registered 18 goal contributions in just 33 league starts and Alfie Devine registered 14 during his loan spell, too.

Crucially, though, Paul Heckingbottom desperately needs another striker through the door between now and September 1. Jusef Erabi enjoyed a goalscoring start to his loan spell from Genk in the EFL Cup, but outside of him, Milutin Osmajic is the only other out-and-out senior striker on the books.

The Montenegrin frontman has also been the subject of transfer talk this summer, too, so his Deepdale future isn't certain, which would increase the demand for another striker even further.

Regardless of that, though, Preston should be looking at Mheuka, as not only could the 18-year-old benefit from the increased game time he'd get with the Lilywhites, but Paul Heckingbottom's side could do with his presence, too.