While many of Chelsea’s players continue to disappoint, several of those out on loan keep on doing things that lend volume to their cause of hopefully one day featuring in the Blues’ first team, again in some cases. With five different players scoring since the end of the international break, there are no shortage of contenders.
Headliners
Our first two goalscorers come from the Championship, but in both cases, the players in question should be Premier League footballers next season. They should also be in Chelsea colours but, alas, we know how this works by now. For the time being, Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount continue to do their thing, and they’re doing it very well.
It’s been a harder couple of months than usual for Abraham, who went into Saturday’s match against Blackburn with just one goal in his previous seven appearances. Far from playing badly, his previously prolific campaign had merely slowed a little, and he was duly back on top with the opening goal in a 2-1 win. It was his 50th goal in professional club football; all from inside the box, as was widely-noted afterwards. Goalscoring isn’t easy, as many of Chelsea’s recent centre-forwards of lore have discovered upon their arrival in SW6, so hats off to Tammy for reaching a tidy milestone by the age of 21.
Mount too has had to endure two months of struggles after limping out of Derby’s FA Cup win at Accrington with an injury that had sidelined him right up until this weekend. The Rams toiled without him, scoring just seven times in ten games in his absence, but plundered a 6-1 win against Rotherham with him finally restored to the team. He scored one and claimed assists for two more, and earned plenty of praise from manager Frank Lampard, while fellow loanee Fikayo Tomori was imperious at the back. To think, some people claimed he wasn’t a Championship centre-back at the start of the season…
https://twitter.com/dcfcofficial/status/1112298238797701120
Later on Saturday, Kurt Zouma scored his second goal of the season with a powerful header to help Everton on their way to a win at West Ham. It was a strong recovery by the Frenchman after a dubious outing at Newcastle before the international break but, in a way, that has come to define his career. His remarkable athleticism lends itself well to various acts of recovery to make up for initial mistakes, and it has been those recoveries that generate clips and highlights. Still too dubious under high balls for a centre-back, it will be interesting to see what comes of rumours linking Everton with a permanent move for him this summer.
https://twitter.com/thetoffees_com/status/1112049112399126528
Whereas Zouma may or may not come back, Alvaro Morata almost certainly isn’t, having joined Atlético Madrid on a loan deal until the summer of 2020. The return to more familiar climes has worked out well and, after notching twice for Spain against Malta on Tuesday, he scored his fourth goal for Atlético Madrid in a comfortable win against Alavés on Saturday night.
Mario Pašalić has spent five years in the loan system across five different countries and six different moves, so you can forgive him for wanting to settle down too, and that might yet be with Atalanta in Serie A after he scored his fifth goal of the season in a 3-1 at Parma. A €15m option to buy could prove too cheap to turn down.
England
Premier League
Michy Batshuayi played 77 minutes for Crystal Palace in a 2-0 win that officially relegated Huddersfield, while Kenedy and Newcastle are away to Arsenal on Monday night.
Championship
Reece James was named in the Championship Team of the Season this week, a composite eleven of the best players as voted by the 24 managers in the division. He was in his usual effervescent form in midfield for Wigan in a goalless draw against Brentford and almost scored one of the goals of the season.
Here's your @FootballManager #SkyBetChampionship
Team of the Seasonhttps://t.co/xxFber3UpV#EFL | #EFLAwards pic.twitter.com/VN84THmKjN— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) March 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/slasherxfooty/status/1112014471189282816
Kasey Palmer provided one of the assists of the season as Bristol City staged a dramatic comeback to win 3-2 away to a Sheffield United team that had kept seven clean sheets in a row before kickoff. Jay Dasilva and Tomas Kalas played ninety minutes in a strong team effort, but it was Palmer’s sumptuous pass that unlocked the Blades’ defence for the late equaliser that would lead to an even later winner.
The Ashton Gate trio are still very much alive in the fight for the last two playoff spots in the Championship, with Villa and Derby currently occupying them, but a chasing pack of half a dozen teams also includes Michael Hector’s Sheffield Wednesday. Another top defensive effort saw the Owls keep a clean sheet away to Stoke, and it’s the Jamaican’s defensive nous that has been his calling-card this season according to analysis by good friend of the Loan Report, Ram Srinivas.
Not so long ago, I saw someone – think it was @ploehmann – say Michael Hector desperately tries to be a ball-playing CB. I can hardly think of a more appropriate phrase. pic.twitter.com/pxu0eOXo8K
— Ram Srinivas (@rramesss) March 29, 2019
Lewis Baker and Matt Miazga continue to play their part in helping Reading in their fight against relegation, with both players coming in for praise for their commitment to the cause as loanees, but Trevoh Chalobah and Ipswich look doomed after a 2-0 defeat to Todd Kane’s Hull. Both players played from start to finish, and Chalobah is still being spoken about in glowing terms by manager Paul Lambert.
https://twitter.com/ChelseaLoanArmy/status/1111630209558740997
Izzy Brown helped Leeds United’s Under-23s clinch their regional league title earlier in the week but is yet to make more than a solitary substitute appearance for Marcelo Bielsa’s first team since coming back from injury.
League One
Dujon Sterling has, by and large, been very good for playoff-chasing Coventry City this season, but found the going harder than usual against a Barnsley side that look destined for Championship football one way or another next season. Both of their goals in their 2-2 draw came down his side, and the first started with his poor clearance, so it was a day to learn from and build upon.
Burton Albion had the weekend off owing to opponents Sunderland featuring in the Checkatrade Trophy Final, but there was still something to celebrate for Brad Collins, who was shortlisted for the Brewers’ Player of the Season award this week.
https://twitter.com/burtonalbionfc/status/1111916038768263168
League Two
Nathan Baxter and Josh Grant saw manager Darren Way dismissed from Yeovil this week as the Glovers slide towards relegation, and a 3-1 defeat to Newport will have hardly done their cause any good as they are now just above the drop zone by virtue of a superior goal difference.
Jacob Maddox played the last ten minutes of Cheltenham’s 3-1 win at Crewe and, after being one of their more important players for much of the season, has had to make do with a place on the bench over the past month or so. Some sections of the support took issue with a family member promoting his talents on social media, which has done little to foster relations between player and fan, and while Jacob remains professional and diligent to the cause, it might be a surprise if he were to be anything other than a substitute option in the final six games of the campaign as politics continue to play a role.
Non-League
Jack Wakely helped Basingstoke Town to a 4-2 win away to Wimborne town while Ethan Wady, the Loan Army’s 43rd active member, kept his first clean sheet for ninth-tier Tooting & Mitcham United in a 1-0 win at Uxbridge.
Italy
Tiémoué Bakayoko was booked as Milan lost 1-0 to Sampdoria on Saturday, Lucas Piazon was (as usual) an unused substitute for Chievo against Cagliari, and Ola Aina missed Torino’s draw with Fiorentina due to injury.
Spain
Kenneth Omeruo missed Leganés win at Getafe through suspension but, like so many other loanees, used the international break to discuss the merits of his time in Spain and his desire to stay there if possible.
https://twitter.com/ChelseaLoanArmy/status/1110541266612187138
Josimar Quintero was an unused substitute as Lleida lost to Alcoyano.
Netherlands
Eduardo and Jake Clarke-Salter were involved in a topsy-turvy game as Vitesse drew 3-3 at ADO Den Haag; teenage striker Thomas Buitink – who was linked with Chelsea three years ago – became the youngest player to ever score an Eredivisie hat-trick.
Fankaty Dabo, who picked up another slight injury last weekend, was an unused substitute for Sparta Rotterdam on Friday.
Belgium
Kylian Hazard was substituted at half time during Cercle Brugge’s 3-1 defeat away to Union S-G.
Germany
Dortmund beat Wolfsburg 2-0 to go top of the Bundesliga ahead of next weekend’s likely title-decider against Bayern Munich, but they did it without Christian Pulisic, who injured his quad on international duty with the United States and could be out for up to a month.
France
Victorien Angban played ninety minutes as Metz beat Lorient 2-1 to move eight points clear at the top of Ligue 2 with eight games remaining, and eleven points clear in terms of automatic promotion.
Baba Rahman and Reims had no Ligue 1 fixture this week.
Turkey
There was no Turkish league action this week either, so Victor Moses was off duty.
Serbia
Danilo Pantic played 82 minutes as Partizan lost 1-0 to Napredak.
Northern Ireland
There was heartbreak for Jared Thompson and Warrenpoint Town as they were denied a place in the Irish Cup Final after losing 5-4 on penalties to Ballinamallard. The Chelsea goalkeeper had kept a clean sheet during the goalless draw but ended up on the losing side in one of the club’s biggest matches in recent history.
Brazil
Nathan was not in Atlético-MG’s squad for their goalless state championship draw at Boa.
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 | |||||||||||