Chelsea defender Harrison Murray-Campbell is having the sort of loan spell that can get supporters into trouble.
The 20-year-old is spending the season at KV Kortrijk and has worked his way into the starting XI. More importantly, he is quickly becoming a favourite with the Belgian club’s supporters.
One fan account has already issued the famous warning: “Never fall in love with a loan player.” But that might be easier said than done if Murray-Campbell keeps playing like this.
| Statistic | Total |
|---|---|
| Appearances (starts) | 6 (4) |
| Minutes played | 380 |
| Goals / assists | 0 / 0 |
| Pass completion | 84.9% |
| Completed passes | 265 |
| Accurate long balls | 19 |
| Tackles | 10 |
| Interceptions | 9 |
| Blocked shots | 8 |
| Clearances | 30 |
| Duels won | 18 (50%) |
| Clean sheets | 1 |
Chelsea youngster winning them over
Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws has taken a look at Murray-Campbell’s start to life at Kortrijk, and it’s all rather positive.
The centre-back has produced a string of strong performances and is described as a rock at the back. He’s also enjoying himself, regularly getting the crowd going after winning tackles.
“Things have been going pretty well in recent weeks,” Murray-Campbell said.
“The previous coach [Michiel Jonckheere] put me in the team against Anderlecht and I’ve been growing with every game since. The support from the fans is fantastic. I felt welcome straight away.”
The results haven’t made his start quite as comfortable as that sounds. Kortrijk have lost five of their opening six league matches. They finally picked up their first win of the season last weekend.
Murray-Campbell had already impressed before that breakthrough. That included a strong display against Anderlecht, despite Kortrijk again failing to get the result.
So Chelsea can take plenty from his first few weeks. Their youngster has managed to stand out in a struggling side and is now getting some reward for it.
And of course going from London to Kortrijk naturally involves a few changes. Chelsea’s Cobham training complex probably has a few more bells and whistles, for starters.
“The difference is obviously huge, but I really love it here,” Murray-Campbell said. “We have everything we need. The training complex has its charm too.”
He apparently delivered that last bit with a wink. Fair play.
Chelsea remains the big goal
Murray-Campbell hasn’t lost sight of why he’s in Belgium. Chelsea have made extensive use of loans over the years, and the defender wants this spell to prepare him for a future at Stamford Bridge.
“That’s obviously the goal,” he said. “This season I mainly want to gain as much experience as possible at the highest level. My decision was made quickly. KV Kortrijk and I are the perfect match.”
The youngster has some decent Chelsea connections as well.
“John Terry – my idol when I was a child – is perhaps the most famous name in my contacts. I also played alongside new Belgium international Roméo Lavia.”
Kortrijk now face KSK Heist in the Belgian Cup this weekend, so Murray-Campbell won’t even get the international break off. He’s perfectly happy with that.
“I don’t mind because we have the momentum now,” he said.
“The coach will probably rotate a bit, but obviously I hope to start. I became a footballer to play matches.”
That’s exactly what Chelsea will want to hear. Murray-Campbell went to Belgium for senior football and experience, and he’s getting plenty of both.
