By Garry Hayes
Chelsea have a total of 31 players out on loan right now, and Christian Atsu is one of them.
The Ghanaian midfielder joined the Blues from Porto in September 2013 but is yet to feature for the first team. Instead, it's temporary transfers to Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, Bournemouth and now Malaga that have defined his Stamford Bridge career.
Whereas his season in the Eredivisie with Vitesse saw him continue in the same vein as his time with Porto, Atsu's career has taken a big hit in more recent times. He rarely featured last year with Everton, and his six months with Bournemouth this term saw him fail to make a single Premier League appearance.
So how is his time in Spain going? Bleacher Report takes a closer look.
Appearances
In terms of league appearances, Atsu has already outperformed his entire campaign with Bournemouth this year. Soon after joiningMalaga, he was thrown into the first team for the 3-0 victory overGetafe on Feb. 5.
Atsu impressed with some exciting movement and his trademark runs at the back line. To make things all the more positive for him, Atsuscored after just 23 minutes into his Malaga career.
It was far from a tap-in, too, despite Atsu having the chance gifted to him thanks to some slack Getafe defending. His movement in the buildup is the sort of attacking intent every manager wants to see from players in his position, working the defenders and proving difficult to pick up.
As he demonstrates in the clip below, Atsu also shows a good reading of the game, sensing when to drop more centrally to give his team-mate an option, which results in the finish.
Atsu was taken off at half-time with the game all but over as a contest, with Malaga leading 3-0.
The injury curse strikes
On the back of his opening 45 minutes in Malaga colours, Atsu hasn't featured since thanks to a thigh injury. He was ruled out for two weeks after the Getafe match, meaning he has featured just once.
That first half of football has built anticipation La Rosaleda Stadium, though, with Atsu's expected return being highly anticipated.
Malaga face Real Sociedad this weekend, and the hope is that Atsu will be back fit and ready to feature, even if it means him coming off the bench to help his team-mates.
Despite their 1-1 draw with Real Madrid last weekend, Malaga are in desperate need of some inspiration. They've won just twice in their past seven league games, which leaves them sitting in 12th.
Celta Vigo currently occupy sixth in the La Liga table and are seven points clear of Malaga. The top six is vital, as it offers a route into Europe via the Europa League.
With sides like Valencia and Sociedad—their opponents this weekend—also vying for those spots, Malaga know the need to string some consistent performances together is now more important than ever.
It's why getting Atsu back to full fitness will be key. He's already shown his capabilities in that 45 minutes against Getafe, so the hope now is that he can build on it and get back into the first team.
What's Atsu saying?
Despite suffering injury after his Malaga debut, Atsu is understandably in high spirits for what lies ahead for him in La Liga this term.
Unlike those previous spells with Everton and Bournemouth, the Ghanaian has got off to the sort of start every player wants: He scored and got the fans immediately onside.
That thigh injury has set him back, but as he approaches a return to full fitness once more, he should be feeling confident of making an impact on Javi Gracia's side, as Atsu recently told the Malaga website (per Prince Narkortu Teye of Goal.com):
"We have a great group of players. They're easy to work with and I feel very comfortable. I have adapted quickly after getting a great welcome.
Gracia is a very prepared coach and he gave me a chance to play at a time he thought was best for the club. I'm grateful for the opportunity. It's what I've needed for a long time, and I look forward to working hard to please the coaches and the club.
It was a good 45 minutes on the pitch [against Getafe]. If I want to show my best level, I need to keep playing and working hard."
He's impressed Gracia, too, with the Malaga manager commenting on his debut (per Teye): "He did a good job, and I am happy about that."
If he can avoid injury, the signs are looking positive for Chelsea's loan star.
Source: Bleacherreport.com