A loan deal in football is a transfer which involves a player of one team playing for another for a temporal or potentially permanent basis.
We have seen some loan deals which have benefited all parties involved as young players get to enjoy game time, help their current club’s objectives and potentially make their parent club a stronger team in the future. It has also helped some players rejuvenate their careers and aid some as they seek game time in order to maximize their potential.
Below we take a look at a few successful loan deals of the 2021/22 campaign.
Dejan Kulusevski (Juventus to Tottenham Hotspur)
After a frustrating first half of the season where he had seen his game time drastically reduce, the 21-year-old joined Tottenham in January on loan on initial 18-month deal.
Since his arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the versatile forward has been one of the most prolific players in the Premier League scoring 3 goals and 8 assists in eleven Premier League starts.
With his skillset, tactical flexibility and versatility he has proved to be what has been the missing piece of a Tottenham attack for years.
With a great left foot, dribbling skills, incredible passing range, high pressing, and the ability to play in tight spaces, he complements the gameplay of the duo of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son to form an amazing trident and has made Spurs’ attacks even less predictable. His first start for the club was a game against Manchester City. In the 3-2 win over the Cityzens, all three players contributed 2 goals with Son grabbing 2 assists, Harry Kane with 2 goals and Kulusevski grabbing one goal and providing the winner for Kane.
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Phillipe Coutinho (Barcelona to Aston Villa)
It could be argued that Phillipe Coutinho’s move to Barcelona has turned out to be one of the worst and most expensive transfer mistakes in the history of football.
The fact remains that the Brazilian’s style of play is best suited to the Premier League. Also being a classic No 10, the fact that he was played out of position on the wings for almost the entirety of his Barcelona career shows that different managers at the club did little to get the best out of him. More so under current manager Xavi Hernandez whose preference for a classic 4-3-3 formation meant that there would be no room for Coutinho to operate in his preferred position and thus natural wide players would be preferred ahead of him.
Seeing that he was not in the plans of the new boss and with the World Cup getting ever closer, the Brazilian took a bold step when he joined the Villans in January from Barcelona as he agreed to a wage cut to facilitate the move as part of his attempts to end his woes at the Camp Nou.
Since joining the Lions, the Brazilian magician seems to be returning to the old version of himself. In 13 Premier League starts, he has scored 4 goals and made 3 assists while putting up some impressive performances for Steven Gerrard’s side which has put him on the shopping list at Villa as the club would be happy to activate a €40 million buy-out clause in the loan deal in the summer.
Conor Gallagher (Chelsea to Crystal Palace)
The 22-year-old was loaned to the Eagles from Chelsea in the summer to get game time and so far, he has more than impressed for Patrick Viera’s young side. This season, he’s arguably been Palace’s best player. According to FotMob, only Liverpool duo of Mo Salah and Trent-Alexander Arnold and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne have more Man of the Match awards in the Premier League this season than him. His outstanding performances earned him his first national call-up to Gareth Southgate’s side in March.
A strong and highly energetic midfielder, Gallagher has been compared to N’golo Kante for his great stamina and is viewed by some as a potential successor to the French midfielder. He possesses all the qualities a coach can desire in a midfielder with a good passing range, excellent technique, great composure, balance and he rarely loose the ball. With 8 goals in the Premier League this season, there is no doubt of his goal scoring ability and all these make him a nightmare to play against.
Matteo Guendozi (Arsenal to Marseille)
The French midfielder who arrived at Arsenal from Lorient in 2018 had shown glimpses of star potential but some poor performances and inconsistencies put his Premier League career in doubt. He was soon found out of favour by Gunners’ boss Mikel Arteta in July 2020 after an altercation with Brighton striker Neal Maupay. With the coach reportedly having issues with the midfielder’s attitude and conduct, the best solution for all parties was an exit for Guendouzi.
In Marseille, the 23-year-old seems to have gotten his career back on an upward trajectory as he has solidified his place in the Marseille team with three goals and six assists in 35 appearances for the French giants earning himself a first-ever call up to Didier Deschamps’ national side in November last year.
His impressive performances have convinced those in charge at Marseille to trigger the €9 million buy-out option to make his loan deal permanent as the Frenchman looks set to continue his career at the Stade Vélodrome.
William Saliba (Arsenal to Marseille)
Another Arsenal player on loan at Marseille albeit with a better chance of playing for the Gunners is young French defender William Saliba. Signed from French outfit Saint-Etienne in 2019, the Frenchman has had 2 loan spells away from Arsenal, and at his 3rd try, the 21-year-old has finally begun to showcase his talent.
Brave, tall, strong, quick, great at individual duels, great composure on the ball, good reading of the game, an adventurous dribbler, a fantastic passer and being able to single handedly stop Kylian Mbappe on a counter attack. The Frenchman has definitely given Arsenal fans a lot to excited about for the upcoming season.
This season, the French prodigy boasts some highly impressive statistics considering his age. Per game, he averages about 1.4 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, makes 2.1 clearances, blocks 0.5 shots and has made no error leading to goals. His impressive performances earned him a first call up to the French national team in March.
Nuno Mendes (Sporting CP to Paris Saint Germain)
After climbing up the ranks of the Sporting Lisbon youth academy up to the first team, the 19-year-old Portuguese left back had a breakthrough campaign last season which caught the attention of Europe’s big clubs.
He signed for PSG on loan in the summer and so far, has impressed as he has nailed down a starting berth on the left side of PSG’s defense beating off competition from the likes of Juan Bernat and Layvin Kurzawa.
An entertaining, tireless, pacy, skillful and attack minded full back, the Portuguese is also capable of playing as a wing back. He is as calm and composed on the ball as he is as tenacious and aggressive off it. With a combination of speed, aggression and strong will, he possesses a great ability to recover the ball and has an understanding of the game which is quite high for a player of his age. With such ability, he has the potential to become one of the best left backs of his generation and with hard work and a willingness to learn, he could improve other areas of his game such as his end product.
With an option to buy the Portuguese for a reported fee of about 49 million euros, it seems to be a matter of time before PSG permanently secures the future of the highly promising left back.
Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint Germain to West Ham United)
With knowledge that game time will be hard to come by, the 29-year-old French goalkeeper has for the third consecutive season left the Parisians in search of playing time.
While it can be said that things haven’t quite gone his way, there’s no denying that the Frenchman has impressed between the sticks whenever he’s been called upon.
In 17 apps for West Ham this season, he has 8 clean sheets, 2 of which came in what were for him, Man of the Match performances in victories against Manchester City and Manchester United in the EFL Cup. He was also reliable in the Europa League where West Ham were knocked out in the semifinals.
Honorable Mentions
- Giovanni Simeone (Cagliari to Hellas Verona)
- Cengiz Ünder (Roma to Marseille)
- Armando Broja (Chelsea to Southampton)
- Luuk de Jong (Sevilla to Barcelona)
