PSV Eindhoven have signed Chelsea outcast Marco Van Ginkel on a one year loan deal. Of what would be his fourth spell at the Dutch club and his eighth loan away from Chelsea, his strange career would be well different if the injuries had not hampered his growth.
Van Ginkel was welcomed at Chelsea with a lot of enthusiasm from Chelsea’s feeder club Vitesse. He was a midfield prospect who had similar playing style that of Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. It was only a matter of time that Van Ginkel would be a household name at SW6. Little did we know that a knee injury in a cup game against Swindon Town would turn his fortunes at the club.
Van Ginkel was ruled out for a substantial part of 2013/14 season. Despite returning to fitness in the latter part of the season, Van Ginkel was a sporadic player for the remainder of the season. The departure of Kevin De Bruyne in 2014 coupled with Oscar’s inconsistent performances meant that Van Ginkel could play an important role in the 2014/15 title winning season. However, with the arrival of Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona meant that Van Ginkel’s chances to shine at the club would be limited.
Embed from Getty ImagesMarco Van Ginkel had a decent start to life at Stamford Bridge. (Image Credit – Getty Images)
A decent season at AC Milan was followed by another spell at Stoke City. Van Ginkel failed make an impression during his short stint at the club and was later shipped out to his home land. A series of appearances in the Champions League along with clutch goals in PSV’s title winning campaign came as a positive news to Marco Van Ginkel who was certainly in contention to make his return to his parent club Chelsea in 2016.
Amongst other minor injuries, Marco Van Ginkel impressed in the Chelsea U23s where was playing to regain his match fitness. A drastic change in Chelsea’s playing style under Antonio Conte found Van Ginkel a surplus to Conte’s requirements which meant only one thing : Another loan at PSV Eindhoven. In the 2016/17 season, he was an important cog in PSV’s title defence. Unfortunately, it was Ajax which won the Eredivisie after a close title challenge with PSV and Feyenoord. Marco Van Ginkel’s performances in that season were impeccable and earned him another season at PSV.
Embed from Getty ImagesVan Ginkel played a massive part in PSV’s title winning seasons. (Credit – Getty Images)
Van Ginkel’s quality on the field coupled with his leadership earned him the captain’s armband at PSV who later won the title under his leadership. Another fruitful season at PSV was followed by a career threating injury. While it was almost certain that Van Ginkel will get his deserved break at Chelsea, his luck never favoured him. Out for the entirety of the 2018/19 season, questions were raised on his fitness and whether Chelsea should move him on.
After having a lengthy rehabilitation of two years following another destructive knee injury, Marco Van Ginkel signed a one-year extension at Chelsea. He is now joining PSV on loan for the fourth time in his career. While it is important for him to regain his form and fitness, it is extremely good to see him back on his feet!
Even though the Eredivisie is not as competitive as English Football, it will play an important role in Van Ginkel’s journey to full fitness. Having a decorated history of winning titles, PSV will definately benefit from the addition of Van Ginkel and Mario Goetze to the squad. It will be interesting to see whether these two players give PSV a much needed push for their title charge.
It is 2020 and Van Ginkel is finally back to his full fitness. One may say that he is a technical gem with a terrible luck. He’s Twenty-Eight and still in his prime, but it is safe to say that this might be his final year in the books of Chelsea. A technically-gifted player with a winning mentality, Marco Van Ginkel’s time at Chelsea is always going to be ‘What could’ve been’ instead of ‘What is’. Given that the circumstances were different, he would certainly be a world-class player at Chelsea. Chelsea really did have a Dutch Frank Lampard in their team. It is indeed a shame how injuries can ruin careers.
The Chelsea Spot 
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