Jeremie
Boga has become the 28th Chelsea player currently out on loan after joining
Birmingham until the end of the season.
The 20-year-old started in Chelsea's opening game of the Premier League
season, a 3-2 defeat to Burnley, but was substituted after just 18 minutes
following Gary Cahill's sending off.
Boga impressed during Chelsea's pre-season tour of Asia this summer and has
penned a new three-year contract at Chelsea, but will now test himself in
the Sky Bet Championship under Birmingham boss Harry Redknapp.
Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte last week defended his policy over young
players, with the likes of Tammy Abraham, Izzy Brown and Kurt Zouma all
departing on temporary deals immediately after signing long-term contracts
at Stamford Bridge.
"If there are young players who deserve to play regularly and give me a good
feeling, then why not [pick them]?" said Conte, who handed Paul Pogba his
breakthrough at Juventus.
"I put Pogba, at 18, into the team, and for [Claudio] Marchisio. Not a
'simple' player. But you must have this type of possibility, [that these]
players are ready to play with Chelsea, a great team, otherwise it's very
difficult to make this decision."
Boga, an Ivory Coast international, has largely operated in the No 10 role
for Chelsea's youth sides as well in loan spells at French side Rennes and
Granada in Spain over the last two seasons.
The former France youth international becomes Redknapp's ninth signing of
the summer transfer window.
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