If you were hoping that the Kevin de Bruyne loan to Werder Bremen was some sort of bad dream and that Chelsea were going to keep hold of the promising young Belgian this season, I have bad news for you. We've been hearing rumblings that a deal was set to be finalised for some time, with Bremen publicly admitting interest and Ron Gourlay claiming that several players were set to leave the club on loan deals, so this isn't exactly a surprise, but it is now official.

Chelsea have confirmed that the 21-year-old has signed on a season-long loan deal. There is, naturally, no option to buy. With Bremen losing Marko Marin (to us!) early on in the summer, there's a hole in their midfield, and quotes from the club have suggested that they see de Bruyne in the middle, flanked by Eljero Elia and Aaron Hunt. Works for me!