In a season where league titles were snatched away, Champions League nights returned to some legendary grounds, disappointment sunk some of the league’s big spenders and the relegation battle was as gripping as ever, which loan players impressed the most?
Dejan Kulusevski – Tottenham Hotspur
Signed from Juventus on loan for another season, following an impressive and fruitful loan spell in the second half of the 2021/22 season, Kulu has been through several managers at Spurs this season, with the North London club in turmoil and missing out on a European position for the first time in well over a decade.
Despite this, the young Swede has managed to turn on the shine at various points in the season, even carrying Spurs to wins in some games, when the magic of Harry Kane has been wearing thin.
He grabbed his first goal involvements with a goal and assist on the opening day against Southampton and followed this up with assists against East Midlands outfits Nottingham Forest and Leicester City, he again popped up to grab a crucial assist in a 3-3 draw against Southampton as Spurs attempted to stay in the fight for European places.
And its not only goal involvements that Kulu has found himself in amongst this year, taking 1.4 shots per game, completing 1.7 dribbles per game and perhaps most importantly, playing 1.6 key passes per game.
However, we’d be lying to you if we said the story is completely rosy; despite playing 12 more games, Kulusevski couldn’t quite match his G/A total of 2021/22, with 2 goals and 7 assists this term in comparison to 5 goals and 8 assists in 18 matches in his first loan spell. Despite this, the young Scandinavian sensation is confirmed to be with Spurs next year and will fit perfectly in the attacking system of Ange Postecoglou, as Spurs continue the search for their first trophy since 2008.
Manor Solomon – Fulham
The Israeli international was relatively unknown to the average casual following his arrival and eventual debut against Liverpool (where he suffered an injury that kept him out for three months), but Solomon has since caught headlines for his dynamism, ability and goalscoring which has seen him contribute 4 goals in 19 games for Fulham this season.
Those four goals came in consecutive games against Nottingham Forest, Brighton & Hove Albion, Wolves and London rivals Brentford. Whilst his form was considered by some to have tailed off following this purple patch, Solomon still put up impressive numbers for the Whites, taking 0.6 shots per game, completing an average of 1 dribble per game and having a pass success rate of 86.4%. Add 1.1 tackles per game to that and it caps off a fairly productive loan spell for the Israeli international.
As it was effectively a ‘free loan’ due to Solomon suspending his contract with parent club Shakhtar Donetsk, it is unknown whether or not Fulham are in a position where they may be able to activate a clause to secure the young Israeli international on a permanent basis. With fellow London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham sniffing around the 23-year-old, it could be an important summer for both parties as to whether Solomon returns to Craven Cottage or not.
Matias Viña – AFC Bournemouth
Despite only making 12 appearances for the Cherries after signing from Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma in January, Viña has more than played his part in the Cherries’ Premier League survival campaign, as the side formerly managed by Gary O’Neil secured a 16th place finish.
Viña was primarily been deployed on the left hand side by O’Neil, featuring predominantly as a left-midfielder, whilst also stepping up as a left back. He scored twice, in the Cherries’ 3-2 win over Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and against Chelsea in a 3-1 defeat at Vitality Stadium. Clearly, the Uruguayan loves a goal against the big boys!
To accompany his goal scoring exploits, he has impressed across the board offensively and defensively posting defensive stats that read 1.6 tackles per game and 1.4 clearances per game, whilst taking 0.8 shots per game and attempting 0.8 dribbles per game. Consistent throughout the offensive and defensive ranking, his passing remains perhaps his weakest attribute, with just 0.2 Key Passes per game and a 73.1% success rate in the Premier League this season.
So what next for Viña? The versatile midfielder/defender will return to Roma as Bournemouth have decided against a permanent signature for the Uruguayan. He could however prove to be a solid loan capture for any Premier League or La Liga club, or even as a versatile option for Roma, who will go into next season continuing their quest for a return to the UEFA Champions League.
Those are just a few of the loans that impressed us from this season. We look forward to bringing you more articles as the transfer window begins to open up and loan deals begin to happen over the coming weeks!
'In Love With a Loan Player' 