Vindication

July 27, 2020

First things first, nobody’s pretending it was a perfect season. We know where the club is, where it needs to improve, and how much work is ahead in order to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City. That being said, it was a season of vindication. It was a season that proved that giving young, home-grown players a chance is a choice, not a by-product of winning or of…

Read More >>

The Loan Report: July 20-26

July 26, 2020

The final Loan Report of the season wraps up the loose ends from the last week in England and, while action continues for a while yet in Italy, we’ll keep track of that on Twitter. England Premier League Aston Villa saw out the season and achieved Premier League survival without Danny Drinkwater, who made just three appearances and played 207 minutes there. Championship There was far more intrigue in the…

Read More >>

The Loan Report: July 13-19

July 19, 2020

We’re almost there; the longest season in Loan Report history has but a couple of weeks to go, but there’s still much at stake. England Premier League Aston Villa’s fight against relegation looks set to finish without the services of Danny Drinkwater, as the midfielder once again missed out on selection away to Everton in midweek. Jacob Maddox joined Southampton on loan in January with a view to a permanent…

Read More >>

The Loan Report: July 6-12

July 12, 2020

Another week of Loan Army action is in the books and, while few feathers were ruffled, there’s still much to play for. England Premier League Except if you’re Danny Drinkwater of course. He wasn’t involved in either of Aston Villa’s matches again. Championship Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher continue to impress at Swansea, helping them to a 3-1 midweek win over Jake Clarke-Salter’s Birmingham City, before losing out at the…

Read More >>

The Loan Report: June 29 – July 5

July 5, 2020

June gave way to July this past week and, while the Loan Report still lacks fireworks, we’re moving towards the end of a long season that will have tested the resolve of everyone involved. Headliners The headlines this week were made by two players who aren’t actually playing. Charlie Brown’s first venture into professional football was ended prematurely when the Belgian season was cancelled due to the pandemic, but he…

Read More >>

The Chelsea Academy Class of 2020

July 2, 2020

Football has been in a strange place these last few months, and few if any of us really know what lies ahead, but there are some constants that remain in place regardless. The academic school year, for example, might have been interrupted in March by the government’s enforced lockdown, but it officially ends in July and everyone moves up a year or heads for pastures new. The fabled last day…

Read More >>