Chelsea recall midfielder Lewis Baker from Sheffield Wednesday loan

Chelsea have recalled Lewis Baker from his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday, the Championship club confirmed on Tuesday (10 February).

Baker, 19, joined the Owls on loan until the end of the season in January, in what was his first stint away from Stamford Bridge.

The highly-rated midfielder was tipped to have an influential role in Stuart Gray's side in the second half of the season after the manager tipped the Blues youngster to have a similar impact on the club to Ross Barkley, who enjoyed a spell at Hillsborough in 2012.

But after just four appearances for the club, Wednesday announced prior to Tuesday's 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town that Chelsea had exercised an option to recall the midfielder.

Baker was left out of the Wednesday squad which drew 1-1 with Cardiff City on Saturday with manager Gray claiming: 'I felt the group of players I had out there would get the result."

The decision comes a week after Baker was removed from Chelsea's Champions League squad list, along with departed midfielders Andre Schurrle and Mohamed Salah, to make room for January signing Juan Cuadrado and youngster Isiah Brown.

Baker is one of three young Chelsea hopefuls Jose Mourinho tipped to break into the first team for both club and country in the coming years.

The Blues boss added that should Baker, Brown and Dominic Solanke fail to be playing regularly for England "in a few years" then he will be the one responsible.

"My conscience tells me that if, for example, Baker, Brown and Solanke are not national team players in a few years, I should blame myself," the Blues manager said in July.