Chelsea defender Todd Kane joins Oxford on deadline day after leaving FC Groningen

Chelsea have completed one other piece of low-key transfer deadline day business as their wait to confirm the signing of Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud and a move to Borussia Dortmund for Michy Batshuayi continues, with Todd Kane joining League One Oxford United on loan.

The versatile right-back, 24, will spend the remainder of the 2017-18 campaign at the Kassam Stadium after being recalled early from his season-long stay with Eredivisie outfit FC Groningen on Tuesday (30 January).

Kane previously worked with Groningen coach Ernest Faber during a successful loan stint with NEC Nijmegen in 2015-16, but was restricted to just 12 appearances across all competitions during his second spell in the Netherlands.

Technical manager Ron Jans explained in a statement yesterday that a lack of guarantees over regular opportunities made it the "most logical" solution for him to return to parent club Chelsea.

Kane, expected to be quickly dispatched for another loan spell in England, was promptly snapped up by out-of-form Oxford, who sit 12th in the third tier and are currently under the stewardship of caretaker boss Derek Fazackerley after the dismissal of Pep Clotet on 22 January.

The U's, who were said to be in talks with Frank Lampard over their vacant managerial post and recently lost to Chelsea's development squad in the quarter-finals of the Checkatrade Trophy, have now completed five new signings this month after Manchester City left-back Ashley Smith-Brown joined at the start of the week following the cancellation of his loan at Hearts.

City teammate Isaac Buckley-Ricketts also joined on loan, while midfielder Cameron Brannagan was purchased from Liverpool on a permanent deal after centre-back Rob Dickie moved from rivals Reading.

"At 24 he is that little bit older and more experienced after a few loan moves and has played over 100 senior games now," Fazackerley told Oxford's official website of Kane. "He is quick, mobile and as you would expect from someone who has been at Chelsea he is really good technically."

Kane, a former England Under-19 international and FA Youth Cup winner who joined Chelsea at the age of eight before going onto captain their Under-21 team and travelling with the first-team squad to Munich for the 2012 Champions League final, has yet to make a single senior appearance for the defending Premier League champions.

This will be his seventh loan spell away from Stamford Bridge in total, with those two stints overseas preceded by stops at Nottingham Forest, Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in his final game at NEC and was forced to miss the whole of last season.

Kenedy, Charly Musonda, Baba Rahman and Jake Clarke-Salter have already left Chelsea on loan this month, while Ike Ugbo was recalled from Barnsley before being sent to MK Dons and Jordan Houghton extended his stay at Doncaster Rovers.