Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo defends loan policy

Michael Emenalo has been technical director at Chelsea since 2011

Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo has defended the club's controversial loan policy.

More than 30 players have departed Stamford Bridge on a temporary basis, including Victor Moses, Juan Cuadrado and Mohamed Salah.

The club has faced accusations of stockpiling talent.

Emenalo said: "We have the difficult job of trying to balance being successful with making sure we have the right players at the right time."

Speaking to the club's in-house TV station, the former Nigeria international added: "Sometimes we know there are players whose development is not finished, just like Victor [Moses], who we want to keep with our squad but who maybe needs to play more football to get to the level we think he can get to, because he is very, very talented."

Salah scored nine goals for loan club Fiorentina last season and Emenalo believes such success is a vindication of Chelsea's policy.

"These players go to top clubs and when they get there they prove we don't recruit bad players, just like Salah did last season," he said.

Emenalo said that Cuadrado - a £23.3m signing from Fiorentina in February - had been allowed to join Juventus on loan in order "to go and rediscover his confidence".

"Sometimes the timing is not right for them," he said.