McEachran discusses what happened to him at the start of pre-season

At the age of eight McEachran joined Chelsea’s academy. He went on to rise through the ranks to make his first-team debut, age 17, against Zilina in the Champions League in 2010. 

Things were going well for the midfielder. He made 17 appearances under Carlo Ancelotti that season and signed a five-year contract that would see him earn £2 million per season.

But then the loans started – and they didn’t stop. The 25-year-old played for Swansea City, Middlesbrough, Watford, Wigan Athletic and Vitesse on Loan during his time at Stamford Bridge, making just 11 league appearances for the Blues in between those spells spent away from west London.

"You're just waiting to head back on loan"@JMcEachran20 on the special 'loan group' of players separate from the first team and reserves at Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/37WL5CNBUX

— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) August 17, 2018

In an interview with BBC 5 Live Sport, McEachran has opened up about what happened to him at the start of one pre-season under Jose Mourinho;

“When you go back at Chelsea, it’s the first team, the reserves and then there’s this loan group. If you get put in this loan group, you’re just waiting to go out really,” McEachran said.

“It was when Mourinho was there. I walked in thinking, ‘yeah I’m going to have a pre-season with the first team.’

“I went to walk into the first team dressing room and someone said, I think it was one of the kit men said, ‘Josh, sorry mate but haven’t you heard?’

“I was like, ‘no, what’s going on?’

“He said, ‘oh, you’re down the corridor in the loan group.’

“I was like, ‘oh, wow. Cheers.’

“I took a Pay Cut to go to Brentford just to get my career back on track. To go to the Championship, to enjoy myself again really.”

I said in the interview going out on loan and not playing killed my confidence.. not just going out on loan. At a top club you expect to go out on loan to get experience.

— Josh McEachran (@JMcEachran20) August 17, 2018

Following his interview, McEachran posted explaining how him being out ‘on loan’ has been detrimental to his confidence which in reality is the opposite of what ‘being out on loan’ should set out to be. He did not receive the room to grow and thus it left the midfielder feeling desperate. McEachran was cornered into taking a pay cut in order to enjoy the sport once again and will now should be able to get his career back on track.