Four loanees feature across the three Teams of the season announced by the EFL yesterday.
Burnley duo Ian Maatsen (Chelsea) and Nathan Tella (Southampton) are amongst the highest performers to be named to the Team of the Season for the Championship.
Bali Mumba (Norwich City), who has played exceptionally for Plymouth Argyle as the Home Park club continue to mount their unexpected title charge, is the sole loanee to feature in the League One Team of the Season, as well as picking up the League One Young Player of the Season Award
Finally, Leyton Orient midfielder Idris El-Mizouni (Ipswich Town) was the only loanee to feature in the League Two Team of the Season, following an impressive loan spell in East London.
Impressive Season for Burnley duo
Both Maatsen and Tella have been hugely influential for Vincent Kompany’s Burnley side, as they have romped to the Championship title.
The Clarets have lost just once at home this season, that result coming at the weekend as they suffered a surprise defeat to a beleaguered Queen’s Park Rangers.
Both players demonstrated that their abilities are not to be scoffed at however, with Tella providing an extremely impressive output of 17 goals and five assists in 38 Championship fixtures this season.
Whether he’ll remain at Southampton, a club who look destined for relegation from the Premier League, or sign permanently with Burnley, a team who are looking to take the Premier League by storm, remains to be seen however, with no option to buy for the Clarets.
Maatsen meanwhile had proved his mettle in a loan spell at Coventry City the previous season and has continued to impress this term, chipping in with four goals and six assists in the league, all from left back.
He remains contracted to Chelsea, but another move to Burnley, or perhaps another Premier League side in a similar position, shouldn’t be out of the question with Maatsen shining at both the defensive and offensive sides of the game.
Mumba proves his worth at Home Park
It was a successful night for the Norwich City loanee, who also picked up the League One Young Player of the season award.
With 10 goals and six assists in League One this year, Mumba was touted to have a promising future from the minute he laced up his boots in 2018 for a Sunderland team that had just dropped out of the second tier.
He has dazzled the left midfield role for an Argyle side that continue to blow away their critics, with the Pilgrims now looking to return to the Championship for the first time since 2010.
There’s no doubt that if Norwich can keep hold of him, he could become a star player there next year, with several older Norwich players heading out the door as David Wagner looks to refresh his team.
Mumba could play an important role in the club’s future, as they look to return to the Premier League, having been relegated in 2022. Whatever happens at Carrow Road, everyone is excited to see Mumba fulfil his potential.
El-Mizouni shines at Orient
Before the season, many people wouldn’t have been aware of Idris El-Mizouni.
However, we’re sure plenty of keen EFL fans will be following his next steps with great interest.
The Tunisian joined Orient on loan last summer and has helped fire the Brisbane Road club to the League Two title, chipping in with three goals and two assists in 38 League Two appearances.
With a pass completion percentage of 83.3%, as well as an average of 0.5 key passes per game, it’s clear to see that the young Tunisian has a talent that could well be missing from Portman Road.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not Ipswich keep hold of him next year, or loan him to a League One side, as the Tractor Boys remain embroiled in a tight race for automatic promotion to the Championship.
Should they remain in League One, we’re sure El Mizouni’s services will be more than useful to them.
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