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Loan signings would be the flavour of the next transfer window in football given the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There have been a bevvy of loan moves this season. The ones of Phillipe Coutinho from Barcelona to Bayern Munich and that of Alexis Sanchez from Manchester United to Inter Milan were especially interesting considering they were both big money flops. Sadly these loan deals haven't turned out to be very successful either.
On that note, let us look at a few loan deals in European football this season that were successful. Here are the five best loan deals of the season.
Five best loan deals in European football this season:
#5 Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling has played a lot for Manchester United but by last year had become the butt of a thousand memes alongside teammate Phil Jones. So when United signed Harry Maguire for a record deal, the veteran was sent to Roma on loan.
Everyone thought that it was terrible business from Roma, but Smalling has indeed proven everyone wrong. The Englishman has been a leader at the back and has been one of the very best in the Italian league this season. He has barely ever been dribbled past and in 21 league games, has been cautioned just once.
With England's defensive woes, Gareth Southgate needs to call Smalling back to the national setup.
#4 Mauro Icardi
The controversial Argentine, Mauro Icardi, had been Inter's talisman for several years till the Italian club decided that they wanted a rebuild this season. It coincided with a cold war that broke out between Inter and Icardi and hence the latter was loaned out to PSG. And to his credit, he has broken into the front-three at PSG and mostly starts ahead of Edinson Cavani.
Icardi has 20 goals this season; with PSG already in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, he is expected to score more. He looks likely to be signed by PSG, but recent rumours have also linked him with Juventus.
To PSG's credit, if they manage to get the on-loan Icardi permanently, it would be a fantastic replacement for the ageing Cavani.
#3 Dean Henderson
One year ago, Dean Henderson was just a Manchester United loan player who just got promoted to the Premier League. Right now, he's the favourite to be between the sticks for England at Euro 2020.
He's been widely regarded as the best keeper in the Premier League this season and has already kept ten clean sheets in the league, putting him joint second in the Golden Glove race. Under Chris Wilder, Henderson and co. have created the opportunity of playing in Europe next season, which would be a fantastic achievement for a side like Sheffield United.
But it would be interesting to see whether Sheffield can keep hold of Henderson. The player himself has admitted that he wants to be the no. 1 at Manchester United and with David de Gea's form having fallen off a cliff, it looks more like an eventuality than a possibility.
#2 Martin Odegaard
Eyebrows were raised when Real Madrid signed a 15-year-old Norwegian, Martin Odegaard. Three loan spells later he is finally ready for first-team football. He was quite good for both Vitesse and Heerenveen in the Netherlands, and this season at Real Sociedad, he's shown his worth.
Odegaard has probably been the best-attacking midfielder in La Liga this season, averaging a league-high 2.5 key passes per game and is one of the key men in a fascinating Sociedad team. In him, Real have a ready-made replacement for the ageing Luka Modric.
Odegaard's loan deal is for two years, but no one would be surprised if he is called back by Real Madrid this summer.
#1 Achraf Hakimi
It speaks volumes of Real Madrid's recent scouting that the two best loan players of the season belong to them. Achraf Hakimi, like Martin Odegaard, is also on a two-year loan deal. Hakimi is currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund, and at the end of the season would head back to Madrid having completed his loan spell at the Bundesliga club.
Hakimi has already built up his reputation as one of the best right-backs in the world. He is blessed with scorching pace and has heaps of creativity and a knack of scoring goals. Hakimi has blossomed into a world-beater this season at Dortmund. He's their highest scorer in the Champions League this season with four goals, and he plays as a right wing-back at the Bundesliga club!
Hakimi's partnership with Raphael Guerrero at Borussia Dortmund is credited to be one of the best around. At Real Madrid, however, he would have to fight for his place as the veteran Dani Carvajal currently occupies the right-back spot at the Spanish capital club.
