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With the January 2019 transfer window literally weeks away now, paper talk has already begun over which players might make loan moves away from their current club. While it has plenty of critics, the loan system is undoubtedly a key part of the modern game.
The system usually allows for young talent to make temporary moves from their home side in order to gain valuable experience – Chelsea for instance have well over 30 youngsters on loan at various clubs right now – but it’s also an excellent way to move an established player who might’ve lost his way a little onto newer pastures.
Admittedly, the system isn’t always perfect – as we saw with Renato Sanches’s disastrous loan to Swansea City in 2017/18 – but plenty of players do make great use of it and it can often enable them to kickstart their career.
Here are 5 of the best loan signings so far in 2018/19.
#1 Paco Alcacer – Barcelona to Borussia Dortmund
Spanish striker Paco Alcacer signed with Barcelona back in August 2016 from Valencia for a pretty hefty fee of somewhere around £27m, but he was never truly given a chance to establish himself in the first team at the Nou Camp, as he was restricted to just 14 league starts during his two seasons there.
The beginning of 2018/19 saw him make a loan move to the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, and although he’s still started plenty of games on the bench for his new side, he’s practically been a revelation. In 9 league appearances thus far – 6 of which have come as a substitute – Alcacer has scored a remarkable 10 goals, putting him jointly top of the Bundesliga’s scoring charts alongside Luka Jovic of Frankfurt.
It came as no surprise then when in late November, Dortmund decided to exercise a clause in the loan deal that would allow them to sign the Spaniard on a permanent deal for a fee of around £23m. Essentially, Alcacer’s move to Dortmund is perhaps the best example of the loan system working perfectly – it allowed a struggling player another chance and has now led to a permanent move for him that’s worked for all parties.
#2 Tammy Abraham – Chelsea to Aston Villa
Young England striker Tammy Abraham moved to Swansea City on loan for the 2017/18 season, but after a fast start that saw him score 4 goals in his first 8 league games and earn his first England caps, his time at the Liberty Stadium largely tailed off. It was unsurprising then when Chelsea decided to send him on another loan – this time to Championship side Aston Villa – and thankfully for Abraham, he’s hit the ground running.
Despite Villa not quite living up to pre-season expectations – they currently sit in 8th position – Abraham has been a goal machine in the Midlands, scoring 11 goals in 15 appearances, including an incredible four-goal haul against Nottingham Forest in November. For his run in that month – 6 goals and 1 assist – he was named Championship Player of the Month.
With Chelsea’s own main striker Alvaro Morata still struggling for form and Maurizio Sarri usually preferring to deploy Olivier Giroud from the bench, Abraham’s form at Villa Park has already seen some Blues fans calling for him to return to the club as early as January. Whether that will happen is a question mark, but if he remains at Aston Villa and keeps scoring at his current rate, he could prove to be one of the best signings of the season, loan or not.
#3 Andre Gomes – Barcelona to Everton
Portuguese midfielder Andre Gomes had an absolute nightmare during his time at Barcelona, who signed him from Valencia during the summer of 2016. Despite making 17 starts in his first season at the Nou Camp, he was voted the worst signing of that season by Marca and went on to start just 6 league games in 2017/18.
A move to the Premier League with Tottenham was rumoured during the summer, but instead, Gomes has made a loan move to Everton, and there can be no doubt that it’s a move which has paid off handsomely. The Portuguese international has started 7 games in the centre of midfield for the Toffees, and he appears to be forming an excellent partnership with Idrissa Gueye built around Gomes’s passing range and Gueye’s holding style.
Everton fans have already been calling for a permanent deal to bring Gomes to Goodison Park, but recently manager Marco Silva has admitted that the player’s future is “out of his hands”. Whether this is because Barcelona have finally been convinced of his talents – or another club plans to swoop in – is unknown, but right now it’s hard to deny that he’s having a massively positive impact on Everton’s season.
#4 Reiss Nelson – Arsenal to Hoffenheim
When England u17 World Cup winner Jadon Sancho moved unexpectedly from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund in 2016/17, more than a few eyebrows were raised given English players haven’t traditionally tended to move abroad. But Sancho has been such a success that more young English talent have decided to take the leap, and undoubtedly the one who has made the most impact so far in 2018/19 has been Reiss Nelson.
The young winger has moved from Arsenal to Hoffenheim on a season-long loan, and while his fellow youth products like Eddie Nketiah and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have struggled for playing time at the Emirates, Nelson has thrived in the Bundesliga. He’s made 10 appearances in the league thus far and while 6 of them have come from the bench, he’s still been able to score 6 goals, including an October brace against Nurnberg.
While it doesn’t appear likely that Hoffenheim will be able to sign the youngster on a permanent deal – he only signed a new contract with Arsenal in August – his move to Germany is clearly providing him with some excellent experience – and Hoffenheim are making the most of his huge talents, too.
#5 Kurt Zouma – Chelsea to Everton
Chelsea’s defence has come under fire as of late, with the likes of David Luiz, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger all being criticized for their performances against the likes of Tottenham and Wolves. That’s why it seems strange that the Blues have allowed French international defender Kurt Zouma to move to Everton on loan.
Zouma is no stranger to such a move as he spent the whole of 2017/18 on loan to Stoke City, but although he acquitted himself decently and was practically ever-present in their first XI, the Potters were relegated. This season is proving far more fruitful, however, as playing alongside Yerry Mina or Michael Keane, Zouma has helped Everton to build one of the Premier League’s tightest defences.
Interestingly enough, in Everton’s recent 1-1 draw with Newcastle, Zouma had the highest pass success rate of any player on the pitch, completing 72 of his 75 passes, 27 of which came inside Newcastle’s half. It’s the kind of stat that suggests the Frenchman could be one of the league’s better defenders – and he’s almost certainly one of the best loan signings of the season thus far.
