The news on the loan front over the past seven days has been dominated by what’s happened off the pitch rather than on it. As the January transfer window kicks into full swing, let’s take stock of what’s going on.
Headliners
The biggest name joining the Loan Army is Christian Pulisic, who agreed a £58m move from Dortmund to Chelsea on Wednesday, and will remain in Germany until the summer. We’ll pick up on his progress when the Bundesliga returns in a fortnight’s time.
Welcome to Chelsea, @cpulisic_10! https://t.co/bgiLbAtXrl
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 2, 2019
Tammy Abraham’s sixteen goals this season have put him atop the Championship, a division he’s already proven himself in, and one he probably shouldn’t still be playing in. His two goals against QPR on the first day of 2019 proved as much:
Enter Wolves.
Tammy Abraham to @Wolves should be done next week. Fifa approval required first. That should trigger Chelsea recall.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) January 5, 2019
A move to Molineux now appears to be on the cards in the coming days – on loan rather than the £18m mooted permanent transfer – and although it’s far from the best move he could make at this stage, it is at least another crack at Premier League football, a standard he’ll have to impress at if he’s to convince Chelsea to give him a first-team squad place.
Elsewhere, Charlie Colkett, Kyle Scott, Ruben Sammut and Iké Ugbo have returned from their respective loan clubs in search of alternative ventures. Colkett and Scott could each secure permanent moves away – as could Sammut, with his contract due to expire this summer as well – but careful consideration is required all-round after the first five months of the season didn’t quite go to plan.
Heading out on loan is Jared Thompson, who will spend the second half of the campaign with Northern Irish Premier League side Warrenpoint. He began with a clean sheet on debut in the cup away to Institute in a 2-0 win.
England
Premier League
Kurt Zouma was in defence for Everton in their New Year’s Day defeat to Leicester and then again for their FA Cup win over Lincoln City.
Kenedy played twenty minutes in a losing cause for Newcastle against Manchester United and all ninety in their FA Cup draw against Blackburn.
Championship
Kasey Palmer played no part in that draw, and only got stoppage time minutes on New Year’s Day against West Brom, leaving questions surrounding his future at Ewood Park. After twelve months of inconsistent playing time, he can’t afford to waste another five months of football and needs to be playing regularly.
Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount were present and correct as Derby drew 1-1 with Middlesbrough before Mount took a deserved rest in the FA Cup against Southampton. Tomori continued on in central defence, but with Frank Lampard admitting he’s looking for depth in the position this month, he could be given the rest he needs from time to time as well.
Todd Kane played ninety minutes as Hull exited the cup at Millwall five days after he sat out a 6-0 league win over Bolton, and Trevoh Chalobah escaped the ignominy of Ipswich’s defeat at Accrington Stanley after getting 75 minutes in a league defeat to Millwall.
Lewis Baker claimed an assist as Leeds were beaten in the cup at QPR, and Michael Hector played every second of Sheffield Wednesday’s draws against Birmingham and Luton.
2️⃣ goals in 2️⃣ minutes at Loftus Road as Halmes cancels out Oteh's penalty. pic.twitter.com/rYJ2X4InK9
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 6, 2019
Tomas Kalas helped Bristol City to a 2-0 win at Stoke and Jay Dasilva came in for a 1-0 win over Premier League side Huddersfield, while Reece James continues to star for Wigan. He was the sole Latic to come away unscathed in a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield United and, although he didn’t start in the cup against West Brom, he did come on in a central midfield role and generally boss things.
There you go, he’s just on another level! pic.twitter.com/K2OFQVGonr
— Nathan (@WAFCNathan) January 5, 2019
Head and shoulders above any team-mate at the DW Stadium, it would be stunning were he not a top flight player next season.
League One
Dujon Sterling won a penalty as Coventry rang in 2019 with a win against Wycombe and played all of their subsequent defeat to Scunthorpe, while Brad Collins celebrated extending his stay at Burton until May with clean sheets against Bristol Rovers and Rochdale.
League Two
Jacob Maddox’s return from injury saw him play an hour in each of Cheltenham’s away games at Yeovil and Crawley, with an assist in the first of those.
https://twitter.com/HorsemanDavid/status/1080217008837402624
https://twitter.com/HorsemanDavid/status/1081689797813592065
Nathan Baxter didn’t get to play against him, but he was back in goal against Bury, going down to a 1-0 defeat.
Spain
Michy Batshuayi’s role as a mid-second half substitute continued as La Liga returned from a brief winter hiatus; he got 21 minutes in Valencia’s 2-1 defeat to Alavés.
Kenneth Omeruo and Leganés saw a long unbeaten run come to an end away to Espanyol, Joao Rodriguez was an 89th-minute sub for Tenerife, and Josi Quintero got twenty minutes as Lleida drew 0-0 at Ontinyent.
France
There was no Matt Miazga as Nantes beat Chateauroux in the French cup, but Victorien Angban got 72 mintes as Metz won at Saint-Quentin.
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 | |||||||||||