Marco van Ginkel loaned to PSV Eindhoven

His playing time was set to be further diminished with Stoke’s club-record signing of Giannelli Imbula from Porto late on deadline day.

Chelsea’s Marco van Ginkel hopes to gain more first-team experience after being loaned to PSV until the end of the season.

“PSV and I had been in contact for a long time, they persisted and I felt trusted”, he told PSV’s official site.

The Dutch defensive midfielder signed for Chelsea two and a half years ago for a fee of around £9m, but missed nearly the entirety of his first season at Stamford Bridge after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury early in the campaign.

But the central midfielder, who went out on loan to AC Milan last season, has now transferred to the Eredivisie leaders PSV.

Upon joining the Potters, he said in the summer: “Hopefully I can play a lot of games”.

“I have been on PSV’s radar for some time yet”. Playing for Chelsea would be a dream come true, but right now I will give 100 per cent for PSV.

Van Ginkel moved to the Britannia Stadium on a one-year loan deal at the start of the season, but the midfielder was mainly warming the bench in recent months after losing his starting berth.

Chelsea fans, will Van Ginkel make the grade at your club? I can’t wait to play football at the Philips Stadion, maybe on Thursday when we face FC Utrecht in a KNVB Beker tie.