Despite 
having signed for Chelsea four seasons ago now, at the age of 18, many Blues’ fans can be forgiven for not knowing the name Slobodan Rajkovic.
Rajkovic, now 22, signed for Chelsea from OFK Beograd, and was tipped by many to rise to the top of the game, as well as enthusing an experienced Chelsea side with some youthful exuberance. H
owever, life was not made easy for the Serbian upon his arrival at Chelsea, with work permit problems preventing him from playing in the English league, and therefore subsequent loan moves to PSV Eindhoven, FC Twente, and Vitesse have ensured the player continued his development.
He appeared regularly for both FC Twente and Vitesse, performing well in the Eredivisie, which prompted his call up to the Serbian national side, with Rajkovic going on to collect six caps for his country.
Having now returned for Chelsea, he has impressed in the pre-season friendlies and has been used quite extensively by new manager Andre Villas-Boas. Whilst predominantly a centre-back, Rajkovic also offers up the versatility of being deployed as a left wing-back, allowing him to offer cover to both positions.
However, complications seem to have arisen again, and despite his recent call ups to the national side, it looks as if Rajkovic will still not be awarded a work permit and therefore will be unavilable to play competitive matches in the UK.
L’Equipe has reported that French side Valenciennes are interested in acquiring the Serb, whether it be on loan or on a permanent deal has yet to be confirmed. Whilst Chelsea would likely be more than happy to let Rajkovic go out on loan once again as they continue to try and resolve the issues with his work permit, they may be equally happy to cut their losses on a player who has yet to make his competitive debut for the club, despite being on their books for four seasons now.
