Like it or loathe it, the loan system gives plenty of young prospects a chance to shine in some of football’s most intense hotbeds.
In the past, we’ve seen the likes of David Beckham, John Terry and Harry Kane all go out on loan, before returning to their parent clubs and achieving immense success.
And it isn’t just the up-and-coming talents that can take full advantage of a loan move – over the years we’ve witnessed players like Mikel Arteta (to Everton) and Mohamed Salah (to Roma) make loan moves to get their careers back on track.
With that in mind, Squawka has picked out the top 10 loan signings in Europe’s top 5 leagues so far this season and ranked them in order of their success thus far – read on to find out who comes out on top.
10. Andy Delort
(Photo credit should read REMY GABALDA/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Montpellier
On loan from: Toulouse
Appearances: 14
Remember Andy Delort? No? We wouldn’t blame you. The controversial Frenchman spent a short time in England on loan at Wigan Athletic in 2014, playing 11 league games without scoring a single goal. No such problems with this particular loan spell, however, as the 27-year-old has smashed in five goals in 12 Ligue 1 games so far this season, helping Montpellier to second in the table.
Montpellier have an option to buy Delort at the end of his loan – an option which will surely be exercised if he continues his current form.
Key stat: Andy Delort has averaged 0.6 goals per 90 minutes away from home in Ligue 1 this season, more than any other Montpellier player.
9. Raul Jimenez
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
On loan from: Benfica
Appearances: 11
With all that attacking talent in midfield and on the wings at Molineux, Wolves really needed to sign a focal point to glue their forward movements together. In Raul Jimenez, that is exactly what the Premier League newcomers have got.
His three goals so far don’t really tell the full story as Jimenez has never been a prolific goalscorer. He has, in fact, contributed three assists this season, acting as a target man for Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho to fire passes into, as well as creating space for Helder Costa to charge into. A £33m buyout clause may seem tempting come the end of the season.
Key stat: Raul Jimenez has provided more assists (3) than any other Wolves player this season.
8. Luka Jovic
(Photo credit should read BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
On loan from: Benfica
Appearances: 13
This is the second year of Luka Jovic’s loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt and it is certainly on course to be the more successful.
The Serbian international has nine goals in 13 appearances this season, already matching his tally from 27 games last season, as well as contributing two assists for his teammates. With Benfica struggling in fourth in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, maybe they should consider keeping some of these strikers around at the club?
Key stat: Jovic became the youngest player to score five goals in a Bundesliga game when he did so in a 7–1 home win over Fortuna Dusseldorf in October.
7. Gonzalo Higuain
(Photo credit should read MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: AC Milan
On loan from: Juventus
Appearances: 12
Gonzalo Higuain seems to come in for a lot of stick everywhere he goes. However, regardless of your opinion on him, you cannot deny his goalscoring prowess. Whether it be in Spain, Italy or Argentina, for club or country, Higuain scores goals. It is what he does.
This season has been no different. After being loaned out to AC Milan, making room for Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, Higuain already has seven goals to his name after just 12 appearances for the Rossoneri. You can criticise his mobility all you want but give the ball to Higuain in the box and the 30-year-old will find the back of the net.
Key stat: Gonzalo Higuain has averaged 2.4 shots per game from inside the penalty area (excluding the six-yard box) this season, more than any other AC Milan player.
6. Kurt Zouma
(Photo credit FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Everton
On loan from: Chelsea
Appearances: 11
Did you know Kurt Zouma’s middle name is ‘Happy’? Well, that is certainly how the Everton fans will be feeling, given the 23-year-old’s effect on the Toffees’ defence so far this season.
Injury has been cruel to Zouma over the years, disrupting his Chelsea career just when it looked like he was making a breakthrough. Suffering relegation while on loan at Stoke City last season could have easily damaged his reputation and confidence, but Zouma has come back rejuvenated this season and has been a colossus in the Everton defence so far.
His partnership with Michael Keane has been vital to Marco Silva’s promising start to life at Goodison Park, also helping Zouma earn a recall to the France squad.
Key stat: Kurt Zouma has lost just 1.9 aerial duels per 90 minutes this season, the lowest of any Everton centre-back to play more than one game.
5. Reiss Nelson
(Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Hoffenheim
On loan from: Arsenal
Appearances: 8
English youngsters destroying the Bundesliga. Seems to be all the rage at the moment, doesn’t it? Ademola Lookman did it last season, Jadon Sancho is doing it, and then some, right now. And another success story of this particular craze is Reiss Nelson.
The young Arsenal winger made 16 appearances for the Gunners last season, but with most of them being sporadic Europa League and domestic cup games, the 18-year-old struggled to get any consistency into his game.
This season, however, has been a different story. Nelson has added a new dimension to his own game during his loan spell at Hoffenheim so far, providing the club with five goals in just eight appearances already. Talented though he may be, nobody could have expected this kind of form from Nelson – Arsenal will be keeping a very close eye on his development this season.
Key stat: No Hoffenheim player has more goals per 90 minutes than Reiss Nelson (1.4) this season.
4. Mateo Kovacic
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Club: Chelsea
On loan from: Real Madrid
Appearances: 13
With the sheer depth of talent in the Chelsea midfield, you would have forgiven for thinking that Mateo Kovacic might struggle to get into the Blues’ starting XI.
However, that has not been the case. The Croatian international has started in 10 of his 13 appearances so far this season and after watching his career stall over the past three seasons at Real Madrid, he looks like a player growing in confidence. He only has one assist so far, but it is his 94.2% pass success in the Premier League that really makes Kovacic stand out, linking up expertly with the likes of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante to keep the Maurizio Sarri midfield machine rolling.
Key stat: Mateo Kovacic has averaged 79.6 accurate short passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. Of players to play more than two Premier League games for Chelsea this season, only Jorginho has more.
3. Andre Silva
(Photo credit should read CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Sevilla
On loan from: AC Milan
Appearances: 14
Andre Silva’s numbers from the 2017/18 season don’t half leave you scratching your head. The 22-year-old was fantastic for Portugal, acting as a perfect decoy for Cristiano Ronaldo, and the striker now has 14 goals from 29 caps for his country so far.
Silva also bagged eight goals from 14 games in Europe for AC Milan last season but, for some reason, if you put him in the side for a Serie A match he just couldn’t produce.
Two goals in 24 league appearances was a terrible return for a talented striker but, since moving to Sevilla on loan this season, the former Porto man already has seven goals in 10 La Liga games. Silva has a great mix of presence, ability and intelligence, all of which helping Sevilla to second in the La Liga table so far this season.
Key stat: Andre Silva’s average of 0.6 goals in the penalty area this season is the highest of any player to feature in more than five games for Sevilla.
2. Achraf Hakimi
(Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
On loan from: Real Madrid
Appearances: 7
Scoring two goals in nine La Liga games for Real Madrid last season is impressive enough for a young full-back, but Achraf Hakimi’s numbers on loan at Borussia Dortmund this season are simply mind-blowing.
The Moroccan ace can play in either full-back role and has absolutely terrorized the Bundesliga in those wide areas this season, providing three assists in six league games so far, as well as grabbing a goal for himself. The 20-year-old has also excelled on the Champions League stage, providing another three assists as Dortmund absolutely destroyed Atletico Madrid in October.
Key stat: Hakimi is one of only two players to record a hat-trick of assists in a single Champions League game this season – the other being fellow full-back Jordi Alba.
1. Paco Alcacer
(Photo credit THOMAS KIENZLE/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
On loan from: Barcelona
Appearances: 6
Boy, those La Liga loans are really sorting Dortmund out, aren’t they? Paco Alcacer is a lethal goalscorer but, as so many players do, struggled to find his place at Barcelona over the past two seasons.
That resulted in him being loaned to Borussia Dortmund this season and, wow, what an impact he has had. Eight goals in six games have helped Dortmund to top the Bundesliga table, top their Champions League group with a 100% record and, as a result, Alcacer has now played himself back into the Spain squad – the 25-year-old has even bagged three goals in two games on the international scene.
Key stat: Paco Alcacer scored with each of his first seven shots in the Bundesliga this season.
The post Ranked: the top 10 loan signings in Europe’s top five leagues so far appeared first on Squawka News.
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