The Loan Report: May 1-7

Posted By on May 7, 2017

Bertrand Traore stole the show this week with a pair of goals in a European Semi Final to take us up to 124 overall for the season, just one shy of equalling the club record set in 2013-14, and then late on Sunday evening Mario Pašalić netted a consolation for Milan against Roma to tie things up at 125 apiece.

Headliners

Ajax’s Europa League last four clash against Lyon promised to be entertaining, but their first leg meeting in Amsterdam on Wednesday night was wildly beyond anyone’s expectations. A rampant home team won 4-1 in a match with 24 shots on target, and Traore was front and centre with a goal in either half as he ran Lyon ragged.

Peter Bosz’ team are now in pole position to play the winner of Celta Vigo vs Manchester United in the Final in Stockholm at the end of May, but weren’t distracted from their Eredivisie duties on Sunday as a 4-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles took the title race down to the last day following Feyenoord’s 3-0 defeat to Excelsior. Traore, along with several others, were rested ahead of the return trip to France.

Milan’s 4-1 defeat at home to Roma mathematically ended their slim hopes of Champions League qualification, but Pašalić’s 75th-minute header took him up to five goals for the season, a respectable tally in a poor team.

https://twitter.com/milan__mania/status/861315644397993984

England

Loic Remy was an unused substitute as Crystal Palace were roundly beaten 5-0 at Manchester City.

The Championship season concluded with plenty at stake for the young Blues playing in the division, and there was reason for Christian Atsu and Newcastle to celebrate as they were crowned champions by virtue of Brighton conceding a last-minute equaliser away to Aston Villa. Fikayo Tomori played the full 90 minutes there and looked impressive in doing so, but all’s well that ends well with both teams joining the Premier League elite next season.

https://twitter.com/ChristianAtsu20/status/861213451833806849

Bidding to join them are Izzy Brown and Kasey Palmer at Huddersfield Town, and Lucas Piazon and Tomas Kalas at Fulham. Fulham finished up with a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday – who will now face Huddersfield in the promotion playoffs – courtesy of a Neeskens Kabano winner assisted by Piazon. They take on Reading for the right to play in the final at Wembley.

Brown played 67 minutes for ten-man Huddersfield in their 3-0 defeat at home to Cardiff, but will be an integral figure in their own challenge for promotion. Kasey Palmer had long-since been ruled out of contention by manager David Wagner, but that hasn’t stopped him teasing an unlikely late-season return…

https://twitter.com/kaseypalmer45/status/860933416535064577

At the foot of the table, Tammy Abraham was named Bristol City’s Player and Young Player of the Season but couldn’t add to his 26-goal haul on the last day of the season in a 1-0 defeat to Birmingham City, who avoided relegation at the expense of Blackburn Rovers.

League Two concluded the previous day, and although Jamal Blackman kept a 17th clean sheet in 52 appearances for Wycombe Wanderers, the myriad of permutations they needed in order to qualify for the playoffs didn’t quite come off. For Blackman, the club’s Young Player of the Season, football at a higher level almost certainly awaits next season.

https://twitter.com/Big_Blacks/status/859087568117411841

Alex Kiwomya wasn’t involved in Crewe’s final day fixture, with his time there starting so well yet ending in barely a whimper.

Spain

Granada, with Victorien Angban starting but Jeremie Boga an unused substitute, were beaten 4-0 by a Real Madrid team that barely got out of first gear in doing so.

Italy

Juan Cuadrado played the last quarter of an hour as Juventus beat Monaco 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions League Semi-Final, and then completed ninety minutes in the Turin derby as Torino held them to a 1-1 draw.

Germany

Hopes of European qualification via the league are all but over for Andreas Christensen’s Borussia Mönchengladbach as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Augsburg on Saturday, leaving them two points adrift with two play, but requiring help from multiple teams above them in order to get in. Michael Hector’s Eintracht Frankfurt lost 2-0 at home to Wolfsburg, but the Jamaican has managed to get himself back into the starting eleven just in time to be in the reckoning for a place in the team for the upcoming German Cup Final against Dortmund.

Netherlands

Vitesse returned to league action following their Cup win last weekend and did so with a forgettable performance away to Utrecht, losing 1-0. Lewis Baker and Matt Miazga played 90 minutes, Nathan played 45 minutes, and Mukhtar Ali was an unused substitute.

Marco van Ginkel got 90 minutes as PSV drew 1-1 at Groningen but, as usual, Danilo Pantic wasn’t in Excelsior’s squad.

Belgium

Cristian Cuevas and Matej Delač were both unused substitutes in Belgian league playoff action this week.

Turkey

Kenneth Omeruo sat out Alanyaspor’s win at Konyaspor serving a one-match suspension following his red card last weekend.

Switzerland

Miro Muheim continues to wait patiently for the opportunity to make his FC Zurich debut.

Brazil

Wallace hasn’t played for Gremio in over a month.

Colombia

Joao Rodriguez hasn’t played for Cortuluá in two months.