Chelsea was nearing a deal that would have sent U.S. national team defender Matt Miazga on a season-long loan to Espanyol in Spain's La Liga, but after the deal fell through, Chelsea was able to offload Miazga to Dutch top-flight side Vitesse Arnhem prior to Wednesday's transfer deadline.

Miazga, 21, left the New York Red Bulls last January, signing a four-and-a-half year contract with the Blues while Guus Hiddink was caretaker manager. He was included on the club's travel squad for the Champions League but he only featured for Chelsea's first team twice at the end of last season. It was not in Chelsea's plans to loan Miazga immediately after his signing; instead it was going to evaluate him and then reassess over the summer. Miazga made one appearance in a club friendly for Chelsea's first team in July, and it didn't appear he was going to have a role to play under new manager Antonio Conte.

Premier League clubs had shown interest in Miazga, and Chelsea had felt that he had a better chance of getting playing time at Espanyol, but instead, he heads to Vitesse, a frequent loan partner for Chelsea over the last few years.