We’re back from the international break with a full complement of loanees to catch up on, with the headlines this week belonging to Iké Ugbo.
Headliners
Ugbo will have found out a lot about himself over the past twelve months; his first loan in professional football was at Championship club Barnsley, where a promising start grew into winter frustration. He swapped the Tykes’ red for the white of Milton Keynes in League One earlier in 2018, and returned to that level in August with Scunthorpe.
His first goal for the Irons came in familiar territory as they won 3-2 at Wimbledon, where Chelsea have played the odd youth fixture over the years, and it was a tidy goal to boot, an instinctive close-range finish from a right-wing cross.
England
Premier League
Kurt Zouma and Everton struggled in a 3-1 home defeat by West Ham, while Kenedy had a forgettable twenty-minute cameo as Newcastle lost 2-1 to Arsenal.
Championship
Tammy Abraham made his keenly-anticipated Aston Villa debut against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday evening and, on first viewing, it could be a frustrating season for him. Villa spent much of the contest aiming high, looping long balls in his general direction, leaving him starved of service, and when he was able to create clear chances himself, he was guilty of failing to hit the target.
Kasey Palmer was an unused substitute for Rovers.
Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori returned from England duty and tasted defeat with Derby, losing 1-0 to Rotherham, and manager Frank Lampard was sent off.
Todd Kane’s Hull beat Trevoh Chalobah’s Ipswich 2-0, consigning the visitors to a seventh league match without victory, and it was the more experienced Kane who enjoyed the day on a personal level too. He played another full 90 minutes on the left of midfield, making sure Jarrod Bowen’s opener crossed the line, but Chalobah remained unused on the Ipswich bench throughout.
Reece James continued to impress for Wigan despite their 2-0 defeat to Brentford, and there was half an hour from the bench for Lewis Baker as Leeds drew 1-1 at Millwall, where Jamal Blackman was an unused substitute, and Izzy Brown remains a long-term injury absentee.
Reece James does well for visitors. He’s looked tidy at times
— Beesotted Brentford (@Beesotted) September 15, 2018
Bristol City won a fourth straight match and recorded a third clean sheet in that run by defeating Sheffield United 1-0; both Tomas Kalas and Jay Dasilva started, and it’s Kalas that has earned rave reviews at Ashton Gate for having something of a transformative effect on the Robins’ fortunes.
https://twitter.com/BristolCity/status/1041311074434396161
Michael Hector made his Sheffield Wednesday debut late in their 2-2 draw with Stoke.
League One
Dujon Sterling, back to full fitness, had what was widely credited as his best display in a Coventry shirt as they beat Barnsley 1-0.
Tell you what, yes Burge and Chaplin were standouts today. But the unsung hero for me was Dujon Sterling, absolutely brilliant I thought today. Made some match-saving slide tackles and did great going forward too. Hopefully he keeps on improving like this. Best I've seen him!
— Cameron Cairns (@CameronCairns87) September 15, 2018
Charlie Colkett, unfortunately, continues to be overlooked by Shrewsbury Town, who have only won one league match in eight and seem to think a player of his quality can be of no assistance.
League Two
It’s six clean sheets in a row for Nathan Baxter and Yeovil, who also found room to score six at the other end on the road at Newport. The Glovers are enjoying life early in this new campaign and Baxter is at the heart of the feel-good factor.
https://twitter.com/YTFC/status/1040991854177734656
Jacob Maddox was named Man of the Match as Cheltenham drew 0-0 with Crewe, and he too has become a key figure at Whaddon Road already this term.
https://twitter.com/CTFCofficial/status/1040991735323795456
Netherlands
Eduardo and Jake Clarke-Salter played well as Vitesse got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at PEC Zwolle, but Charly Musonda missed out after suffering an injury during a friendly last weekend. Initially reported as a shin injury, the Chelsea medical team have since discovered a knee problem that could keep him out until Christmas, but more optimistic Dutch reports claim he could be back within a month. We shall see.
Final verdict. Charly Musonda has suffered a knee injury. Vitesse: “It’s difficult to predict how long he will be out for, but it could be up to a few months.” Player will stay at Cobham during his recovery. #cfc pic.twitter.com/cpCgScxc8w
— Kristof Terreur (@kristofterreur) September 14, 2018
Fankaty Dabo made his Sparta Rotterdam debut as a substitute in a 2-0 win versus Den Bosch, and Kyle Scott completed his first ninety minutes for Telstar as they were defeated 2-0 at Cambuur.
Spain
Michy Batshuayi is still having to bide his time for action at Valencia; he played just twelve minutes of their goalless draw with Betis on Saturday, extending the theme of his time at the Mestalla so far.
Kenneth Omeruo was an unused substitute as Leganés lost to Villarreal, Joao Rodriguez was absent through injury as Tenerife were beaten by Reus, and Josimar Quintero played a half as Lleida beat Compostela in the Copa del Rey before sitting out their weekend league fixture.
Italy
Ola Aina played the last fifteen minutes of Torino’s 1-1 draw against Udinese after having suffered a minor injury before the international break, while Tiemoue Bakayoko came on midway through the second half of Milan’s 1-1 draw at Cagliari.
Mario Pašalić and Atalanta travel to SPAL on Monday night.
Germany
Baba Rahman was an unused substitute in Schalke’s 2-1 defeat at Gladbach, and wasn’t even brought on when left wing-back Hamza Mendyl went off injured in the first half, as Alexander Schopf was the preferred replacement.
France
Matt Miazga, who made some new Mexican friends during the international break, slotted back into the Nantes defence and helped them to a clean sheet with a 0-0 draw at home to Reims on Sunday.
https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1039705742415224832
Victorien Angban’s Metz travel to Beziers on Monday night.
Belgium
Kylian Hazard was an unused substitute for Cercle Brugge at Oostende.
Scotland
Ruben Sammut was an unused substitute in Falkirk’s 3-2 defeat at Ayr.
Serbia
Danilo Pantic played all bar a handful of stoppage-time minutes in Partizan’s 1-0 win at Proleter on Saturday.
Brazil
Nathan was twice an unused substitute for Atlético-MG this week.
Statistics
Started: July 14th
Final: May 29th
| Player | Club | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe/Cont | Other | Mins Played | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Tammy Abraham | Aston Villa | 40 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3450 | 40 | 26 |
| Ola Aina | Torino | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2275 | 32 | 1 |
| Victorien Angban | Metz | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2056 | 29 | 1 |
| Tiemoue Bakayoko | Milan | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2972 | 38 | 1 |
| Lewis Baker | Leeds United | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 491 | 14 | 0 |
| Lewis Baker | Reading | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1497 | 19 | 1 |
| Michy Batshuayi | Valencia | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 952 | 22 | 2 |
| Michy Batshuayi | Crystal Palace | 11 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 923 | 12 | 6 |
| Isaiah Brown | Leeds United | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| Trevoh Chalobah | Ipswich Town | 43 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3273 | 44 | 2 |
| Jake Clarke-Salter | Vitesse | 28 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2895 | 36 | 1 |
| Charlie Colkett | Shrewsbury Town | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 306 | 6 | 0 |
| Fankaty Dabo | Sparta Rotterdam | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1625 | 24 | 0 |
| Jay Dasilva | Bristol City | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2383 | 32 | 0 |
| Josh Grant | Yeovil | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 720 | 8 | 0 |
| Kylian Hazard | Cercle Brugge | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1116 | 21 | 4 |
| Michael Hector | Sheffield Wednesday | 36 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3242 | 37 | 2 |
| Reece James | Wigan Athletic | 45 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4005 | 46 | 3 |
| Tomas Kalas | Bristol City | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3586 | 40 | 0 |
| Todd Kane | Hull City | 39 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3363 | 40 | 3 |
| Kenedy | Newcastle United | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1529 | 26 | 1 |
| Jacob Maddox | Cheltenham Town | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3077 | 43 | 4 |
| Mason Mount | Derby County | 37 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3745 | 42 | 11 |
| Matt Miazga | Nantes | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 810 | 9 | 0 |
| Matt Miazga | Reading | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1620 | 18 | 0 |
| Alvaro Morata | Atlético Madrid | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1245 | 17 | 6 |
| Victor Moses | Fenerbahce | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1076 | 15 | 4 |
| Charly Musonda | Vitesse Arnhem | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Nathan | Atletico Mineiro | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 835 | 22 | 2 |
| Kenneth Omeruo | Leganés | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2434 | 28 | 0 |
| Kasey Palmer | Blackburn Rovers | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 984 | 17 | 3 |
| Kasey Palmer | Bristol City | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 538 | 16 | 2 |
| Danilo Pantic | Partizan Belgrade | 29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3043 | 40 | 8 |
| Mario Pašalić | Atalanta | 32 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2047 | 40 | 8 |
| Lucas Piazón | Chievo | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 4 | 0 |
| Christian Pulisic | Dortmund | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 651 | 11 | 4 |
| Josimar Quintero | Lleida | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 693 | 18 | 0 |
| Baba Rahman | Schalke | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 327 | 4 | 0 |
| Baba Rahman | Reims | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 965 | 11 | 1 |
| Joao Rodriguez | Tenerife | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 447 | 12 | 1 |
| Ruben Sammut | Falkirk | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 967 | 15 | 0 |
| Kyle Scott | Telstar | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 995 | 14 | 2 |
| Dujon Sterling | Coventry City | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3307 | 39 | 0 |
| Fikayo Tomori | Derby County | 46 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4692 | 54 | 2 |
| Iké Ugbo | Scunthorpe United | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 936 | 16 | 1 |
| Jack Wakely | Basingstoke Town | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1355 | 16 | 0 |
| Kurt Zouma | Everton | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2838 | 34 | 2 |
| Total | 82392 | 1124 | 115 | |||||||||||
| Player | Club | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Mins Played | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Cln Sht | Apps | Cln Sht | Apps | Cln Sht | Apps | Cln Sht | Apps | Cln Sht | Apps | Cln Sht | |||
| Nathan Baxter | Yeovil Town | 35 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3420 | 38 | 11 |
| Jamal Blackman | Leeds United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 2 | 0 |
| Brad Collins | Burton Albion | 31 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3115 | 35 | 11 |
| Eduardo | Vitesse | 29 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3060 | 34 | 5 |
| Jared Thompson | Warrenpoint | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1170 | 13 | 4 |
| Ethan Wady | Tooting & Mitcham United | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 810 | 9 | 3 |
| Karlo Ziger | Sutton United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 11845 | 132 | 34 | |||||||||||