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In the last few years, clubs like Chelsea and Juventus have benefitted immensely from the loan system. Interestingly, the business of loaning players has its benefits for a young player.
Many clubs send their youth prospects on loan for a temporary period to gain valuable first-team experience. Even the best academy players from top clubs have been sent on loan spells to become apprentices.
Former Manchester United player and England captain David Beckham was loaned out to Preston North End in 1995. Two goals in five appearances and the English midfielder was recalled by Manchester United to join their first team. The rest, as they say, is history.
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More recent examples of loan players making it into the first team include Chelsea and England duo- Mason Mount and Reece James. Before becoming a regular at Chelsea, Mount spent a season each at Dutch clubs Vitesse and Frank Lampard's Derby County. Meanwhile, right-back Reece James was loaned out to Championship outfit Wigan for the 2018-19 season.
On that note, let's take a look at five young stars who have impressed on loan and deserve a chance in the first team at their parent club.
#5 Bryan Gil (Sevilla)
Bryan Gil has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Eibar while on loan from Sevilla. Gil has emerged as one of the top talents in La Liga with several big clubs including Barcelona keeping an eye on the 20-year old.
Bryan Gil is a left-footed player who likes to operate as a conventional left-winger. He is tasked with providing width from the left and putting balls into the box. The Spaniard winger is adept at carrying the ball from deep and completed 2.4 dribbles on average last season, ranking eighth among u-21 players across Europe.
Gil received his maiden call-up to La Roja by Luis Enrique earlier this year. The youngster has been so good that he was rewarded with back-to-back runs in the national team. The left-winger, a tenacious and technical wide-man, has played 29 games for Eibar this season, scoring four goals and contributing three assists.
Sevilla could do a lot with the Spanish international in the first team. The left-winger provides something different for all the options Los Nervionenses currently have in their ranks.
#4 Marc Guehi (Chelsea)
From one talented 20-year old to another, Chelsea defender Marc Guehi has been vital for Swansea in their bid to qualify for the Premier League.
Guehi has been one of the standout defenders in the Championship this season. He has started 41 out of 45 games for the Swans, who are coached by former u-17 England manager Steve Cooper. Guehi made 1.6 tackles and an interception on average, helping Swansea maintain a tight defense. He also maintains an 84% tackle success rate.
Guehi is a confident young defender who loves to drive out of defense with the ball and distribute. Capped at all levels in the England youth set-up, his ball-playing abilities and strong defensive prowess are well suited to Premier League football.
The likes of Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham and Reece James have all used their experiences from the Championship as a platform to step up to the senior side.
Thiago Silva has been a revelation for Chelsea but at 36, he does not represent a long-term solution. Keeping an eye on the future, Chelsea should look to integrate Marc Guehi in the mix next season.
#3 Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)
Harvey Elliott has returned to Liverpool after an impressive loan spell at EFL Championship mid-table side Blackburn Rovers. Elliott scored seven and assisted 11, joint thirdhighest with fellow Liverpool teammate Harry Wilson in the second tier.
The talented attacker arrived from Fulham in July 2019. He became the youngest player to make a Premier League debut, aged just 16 years and 30 days. After making eight appearances in all competitions in the title-winning 2019-20 season, Elliott was loaned out to the Championship side to gain experience.
The 18-year old has long been touted as the next big thing in English football and has shown great promise on loan. Elliott's efforts saw him nominated for the EFL Young Player of the Year award, which was eventually won by Reading's Michael Olise.
Elliott is a left-footed winger who predominantly plays on the right flank. Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray has regularly used Elliott as a left-winger though, or behind the striker as well as upfront.
The winger is extremely dangerous in transitions, as he can pick the right pass and set players through on goal regularly. He is a left-footed player and tends to drift inwards to receive the ball, allowing space for the right-back to overlap. This is exactly how Mohammed Salah operates, with Trent Alexander-Arnold occupying the wide areas on the right flank.
Under manager Jurgen Klopp, there is definitely a pathway for academy players to the first-team at Anfield. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a notable example of budding academy talent making it to the senior side.
Given Liverpool's struggles in the final third, it is realistic that Harvey Elliott could play a role in the first team next season and provide a much-needed spark to the attacking trio.
#2 Joe Willock (Arsenal)
It has been a disappointing summer for Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta. However, Joe Willock's excellent loan spell at Newcastle has been one of the biggest positives for the London club. In 14 appearances at Newcastle, the 21-year old scored eight times.
Willock found opportunities limited at the Emirates and Mikel Arteta allowed him to join the Magpies in February. Despite scoring three goals while setting up three assists in five Europa League appearances, Willock didn't quite fit into Arteta's conservative set-up.
Although not exactly a creative passer, Willock's late arrival runs into the box from midfield provided him with good goal-scoring opportunities. He also possesses a good heading technique which makes him an aerial threat from set-pieces.
The Arsenal academy graduate loves to run into space and drive the ball forward. A confident young player, Willock is an effective option in attacking transition with his penetrating runs from deep. The midfielder can also be deployed in the no. 10 roles.
Arsenal's midfielders Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny, have together combined for only two goals this season. Joe Willock, with his goal-scoring prowess and impactful running, could add a different dimension to Arsenal's game.
#1 Martin Ødegaard (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid's wunderkind Martin Ødegaard, who was signed by the Madrid club as a 15-year old, has once again shown his quality. On loan at Arsenal, the midfielder injected some much-needed creativity and hope into the London outfit.
Ødegaard had been impressive in his previous loan spell at Real Sociedad. But the highly-rated Norwegian playmaker was unable to stamp his ground at Real Madrid under former manager Zinedine Zidane. Hence Arsenal came calling for a temporary switch in the January transfer window.
The playmaker, who is known for his passing, vision and technical abilities, scored a crucial goal in Arsenal's Europa League match against Olympiacos. He even managed to get on the scoresheet against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-1 derby day victory.
The Norwegian captain has a lot of potential in him and it looks likely that he will get a stable chance at his parent club. Carlo Ancelotti has reiterated his desire to reunite with the playmaker and give him a run in the first team. Real Madrid has the best midfield in Europe. But with Toni Kroos and Luca Modric well into their 30s, Madrid need to keep one eye on the future as well.
Considering Carlo Ancelotti's track record of getting the best out of attacking midfielders- most notably James Rodriguez and Angel di Maria, Ødegaard couldn't have asked for a better manager at this stage of his career. Martin Ødegaard is just 22-years old and is yet to hit his prime. This could just put things in place for the Norwegian playmaker.
