Tammy Abraham
On loan at Bristol City from Chelsea
There have been several good performances from Chelsea players throughout the Football League this season: Alex Kiwomya at Crewe, Izzy Brown at Huddersfield, Charlie Colkett and Jake Clarke-Salter at Bristol Rovers, but it is across that city at Ashton Gate where the biggest impact has been felt. Tammy Abraham’s prolific start to the season brought him 11 goals in 14 games. His form dipped in the middle of the season, as did the club’s, but he still finished with 26 goals. Abraham will almost certainly go on loan again next season, but this time to a Premier League side, with Newcastle and Brighton leading the race – two promoted clubs who know all about him.
Aaron Mooy
On loan at Huddersfield Town from Manchester City
The Australian is unlikely to be on Pep Guardiola’s radar but has impressed in the Championship and is being considered by clubs in the top tier. Mooy featured in 45 of Huddersfield’s 46 league games, winning their player of the season award and scoring in the Championship play-off final shootout which sealed promotion to the Premier League. The 26-year-old is likely to move permanently from Manchester City this summer but admitted immediately after the play-off final he was unsure of his future. Brighton, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and of course Huddersfield have been linked with him.
Wojciech Szczesny
On loan at Roma from Arsenal
Szczesny’s two-year loan at Roma has been a success for both parties. He has played regularly – and excellently – as the team finished third and then second in Serie A, establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Italy’s top flight. The Poland international was expected to return this summer to Arsenal, the club he joined as a 16-year-old, to compete with Petr Cech but reports have linked him with Juventus. Arsène Wenger could face a fight to keep Szczesny and game time is likely to be the deciding factor. In May Szczesny told the Guardian: “The one thing I want to do is make sure I don’t stay still. I was quite still for five years … I am 27, the best I have ever been, I still have room to improve and I want to make sure that room doesn’t stay empty. I want to go into that room. It feels like a big moment.”
Andreas Christensen
On loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach from Chelsea
Of Chelsea’s army of loanees across the continent, several have stood out, including Lewis Baker at the Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem and Bertrand Traoré, now linked with a move to the Bundesliga, at Ajax. The most likely to feature for Antonio Conte next season is Andreas Christensen, a 21-year-old Danish defender who has completed two impressive years with Borussia Mönchengladbach. The first of those saw Christensen nominated for the Golden Boy award and prompted Chelsea to try to bring him back to Stamford Bridge last summer, but the player preferred to stay and play in Germany. Christensen is gifted with the ball at his feet and likes to start attacks from deep with ambitious passes. He would slot into most Premier League defenses but does Conte think Christensen can improve the champions? The right-sided role of Chelsea’s back-three would be his most natural fit – a position César Azpilicueta has excelled in this season. Christensen’s future remains up in the air but he has hinted at a desire to return, telling the Danish paper BT: “If I’m going back to England I need to impress my new coach in pre-season.”
Joe Hart
On loan at Torino from Manchester City
The goalkeeper endeared himself to Torino’s supporters with his efforts to speak a little Italian and get to know the club but on the pitch he has made some ugly errors, directly leading to several goals, with dropping routine crosses a recurring fault. Hart is not expected to return to Turin next season nor is he likely to play again for Manchester City, where Guardiola has made his position clear by moving for Benfica’s Ederson. A Premier League club remains the most likely destination and Everton and Leicester have been linked with Hart, but his £130,000-a-week salary could be a stumbling block.
Patrick Roberts
On loan at Celtic from Manchester City
In 2013 Patrick Roberts had not had a sniff of professional football yet he had developed something of a reputation online for his youth football exploits. Clips of his mesmerizing feet and slalom dribbles – the sort not often seen by a British youngster – went viral, such as the one of him playing for England’s Under-17s which drew gasps from the crowd. In 2015 Manchester City bought the winger for £12m and after a first season on the fringes he was sent on loan to Celtic. Under Brendan Rodgers Roberts established himself as crucial part of the club’s domestic treble, with 19 assists in all competitions. The 21-year-old said last week: “I want to play every week and enjoy playing football, like I did when I was a kid. If I can do that I will be happy.” Guardiola’s decision to sign Bernardo Silva for £43.6m suggests first-team opportunities may be hard to come by, and with Celtic reportedly struggling to meet City’s demand to recoup most of their transfer fee his next step remains uncertain.
Kyle Bartley
On loan at Leeds United from Swansea City
It is not too often loan players wear the captain’s armband but Kyle Bartley has done that at Leeds United. Garry Monk knew the towering defender from his days at Swansea and gave Bartley a key role in the side who finished seventh in the Championship. Monk has left Leeds and Bartley has returned to Swansea where the manager, Paul Clement, has made his intentions clear. “He’s had a good season, we’ve spoken on the telephone and said well done. It’s unusual loan players captaining the side, he’s done well, but from our point of view I’m looking forward to him coming back and working with him.” Centre-back was a problem position for all three Swansea managers last season following the sale of Ashley Williams to Everton. In the 26-year-old Bartley, Clement may have a solution. “As far as I’m concerned he’s a Swansea player,” the manager added. “He’s coming back here.”
Tom Lawrence
On loan at Ipswich Town from Leicester City
One of Leicester’s priorities may be to replace Riyad Mahrez after the winger revealed his desire to move on. It will be difficult finding someone to perform like the Premier League’s 2015-16 player of the season but in Tom Lawrence they have a talented young winger who has demonstrated his ability this season. The Welsh 23-year-old, who came through Manchester United’s academy before a £1m move to Leicester in 2014, spent the season at Portman Road, where he excelled, picking up 11 Championship assists and scoring nine goals including some thunderous shots from long range. Lawrence will have plenty of alternatives should Leicester decide not to bring him into their squad.
Josh Cullen
On loan at Bradford City from West Ham United
West Ham’s 21-year-old academy product has made his mark at Bradford, who extended his initial five-month loan until the end of the campaign following a string of mature performances in midfield in his second season at the Yorkshire club. On top of playing a key role in Bradford’s trip to the League One play-off final, Cullen was voted player of the season by his team-mates and has a song sung by the Valley Parade fans comparing him to Zinedine Zidane. Although that might be a stretch, the idea of featuring in Slaven Bilic’s squad shouldn’t be for a young player who recently reiterated his determination to achieve his dream of playing for West Ham. Cullen is due for discussions with the club before their pre-season begins.
Steven Berghuis
On loan at Feyenoord from Watford
Berghuis returned to action in December following several weeks out with a rib injury and impressed during Feyenoord’s march to the Eredivisie title. The Dutch champions are keen to keep him but may struggle to meet Watford’s demands for a player who cost £5m from AZ Alkmaar in 2015. “I’m open for a longer stay [at Feyenoord],” the 25-year-old told the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad in April. “I do not want to fall back to a season where I possibly will play very little, like in my first year in the Premier League.” Much will depend on Watford’s new manager, Marco Silva, and whether he sees a place for a player who scored seven goals and made six more in the Dutch top flight.
(The Guardian)