Best Players on Loan! Pitch XIs

With transfer fees and the money in football seemingly ever-increasing, its not as often that we hear about big profile loan-moves.

A loan often means either one of two things, a player is not good enough for the side that owns them, or the club just wants to decrease their wage bill.

As a result, there are some huge names currently plying their trade around Europe despite being on the books of stronger sides.

Here is an XI of players who have made their mark in the game, but are somehow still currently featuring outside of their parent clubs.

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart | Parent Club: Manchester City | Currently loaned to: West Ham United

Pep Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City marked a sign of change at the Etihad and club legend Joe Hart was one of the first to be forced out the door.

The Englishman won the Premier League twice and the FA Cup once as the sky-blues’ number one, but his prior accomplishments were not enough under the rule of the Spaniard.

Disliked by his new boss due to a failure to adapt quickly enough to new passing tactics, the England vice-captain was surprisingly sent out on loan to Torino whilst Claudio Bravo took his spot following a £15.4 million move from Barcelona.

Neither goalkeeper impressed for their respective clubs however, and after a season Hart found himself loaned out again, this time to West Ham United, whilst Bravo dropped to the bench after Ederson joined City for £34.7 million from Benfica.

With the Brazilian impressing under Guardiola, it seems unlikely that Hart will ever play again for the Citizens, and that his contract will either be run down via loan spells or a permanent transfer next summer.

Right-back: Kurt Zouma | Parent Club: Chelsea | Currently loaned to: Stoke

It’s easy to forget that Kurt Zouma was a first team regular for Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, but a terrible leg-break in February 2016 led to the Frenchman missing almost a year of football.

Zouma has made over 50 appearances for Chelsea, winning the league twice, and has played an important role for the blues even scoring in an infamous 2-0 win over rivals Arsenal at the beginning of the 2015/2016 season.

Now looking to get back his spot under Antonio Conte, the 23-year-old was sent out on loan to Stoke to regain match fitness and has thus far played 13 games for the Potters.

Chelsea currently have over 37 players out on loan and the Blues have far from a perfect track record of promoting loanees, but fans of the London club will still hope to see Zouma back in blue next season.

The prospect of Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta defending together will certainly be one to look out for in the years to come.

Left-back: Cristian Ansaldi | Parent Club: Internazionale | Currently loaned to: Torino

Argentinian left-back Cristian Ansaldi is currently on loan at Torino away from Internazionale, a club he signed for just over a year and half ago.

Ansaldi progressed quickly through the youth setups in his home country and left Newell’s Old Boys for Russian side Rubin Kazan in 2008.

He won the Russian Premier League twice in two years after joining, and continued his journey with brief stints at Zenit, Atletico Madrid, Genoa and finally Inter.

The Argentinian played 26 times for the Nerazzurri and perhaps ironically registered his first and only assist against Torino on the 18th of March 2017.

Ansaldi has struggled with ligament injuries and was consequently sent on loan to Torino this summer on a two-year loan deal with an obligation to buy.

Centre-back: Jason Denayer | Parent Club: Manchester City | Currently loaned to: Galatasaray

22-year-old Jason Denayer has been a part of Manchester City since joining their academy in 2013 and has since been sent out on loan four times.

The loan spells have proved very successful for the Belgian, with his first move to Celtic seeing him win the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award in a season where the Celts won the Premiership and League Cup.

Denayer then went on to play for Galatasaray, Sunderland and finally Galatasaray again, winning the Turkish Cup during his first stay with the yellow-reds.

Despite struggling to establish himself in the City team, the Belgian has still featured for his national side eight times and played for Belgium at the 2016 Euros.

City is possibly the most in-form side in Europe and are yet to lose a game this season with John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi partnering their defence, but Denayer will have to push Eliaqium Mangala for a spot on the bench before anything else.

Centre-back: Reece Oxford | Parent Club: West Ham United | Currently loaned to: Borussia Mönchengladbach

Reece Oxford is only 18 years old but has been involved in the West Ham first team for two years already, making his debut aged 16 in July 2015 and becoming the youngest ever player to represent the Hammers.

The young age means that there aren’t too many honours to the Englishman’s name yet, but he has captained the Three Lions Under-17s squad for the 2015 Euros.

Oxford signed a 4-and-a-half-year contract with West Ham on his 18th birthday and was sent on loan to Reading a month later on a deal that would see him finish the season with the Royals.

The 18-year-old made waves around Europe this summer as it was announced he would join German side Borussia Mönchengladbach on loan.

There is currently a very small number of English players playing outside the British Isles, but a foreign move could be just what the young man needs to spark his career and perhaps set the precedent for others to follow his footsteps into Europe.

Centre-midfield: Timothy Fosu-Mensah | Parent Club: Manchester United | Currently loaned to: Crystal Palace

Timothy Fosu-Mensah could be described as a utility man, able to play at defensive midfield, fullback and centre-back for Crystal Palace on loan from Manchester United.

The Dutchman is only ten appearances shy off his 21 for United with Palace, proving an important option for former manager Frank de Boer and now Roy Hodgson.

At only 19-years-old the Dutchman has already represented his national team’s senior team in a game against France in August 2017 but is also eligible to represent Ghana because of his heritage.

Fosu-Mensah signed a four-year-contract-extension with an option to extend in 2016 keeping him with United till 2020, and could see possibilities in the future as the Red Devils seek to restructure their midfield.

Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera have both been rumoured to leave United, and could represent the Dutchman with an opportunity to step up as Jose Mourinho looks for a long-term option alongside Nemanja Matíć and Paul Pogba.

Centre-midfield: Franck Kessié | Parent Club: Atalanta | Currently loaned to: AC Milan

At 20 years old, Franck Kessié has received widespread praise and been likened to PFA Player of the Year winner N’golo Kanté.

The Ivorian came through the youth system at Stella Club d’Adjamé and was signed by Italian side Atalanta after making 10 appearances and scoring three times.

Before establishing himself at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia he went on loan to Cesena in the Serie B and played 37 games, but his club noticed his form and the 20-year-old followed by making 31 appearances for Atalanta in the 2016/17 season.

As part of the financial takeover at AC Milan, Kessié was brought to the San Siro this summer via a two-year loan deal with the obligation to buy.

The loan-deal means potential suitors will have to wait before approaching the box-to-box midfielder, and the peace of mind it grants could prove vital as the Ivorian focuses his efforts on getting both Milan and himself among Europe’s elite.

Attacking-midfield: Renato Sanches | Parent Club: Bayern Munich | Currently loaned to: Swansea City

Renato Sanches burst onto the European scene in 2016 as his debut season saw him win both the league title and league cup with Benfica before helping Portugal to victory at the European Championships, all at the age of 19.

Most of the top clubs in the continent were following closely, and Bayern Munich secured the teenager for £35 million, a fee that certainly indicated how much promise the Germans saw.

Despite the high-profile transfer, the Portuguese struggled for game time under Carlo Ancelotti as Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara and Xabi Alonso remained starters at the Allianz Arena.

Sanches was loaned to Swansea this summer and has made seven appearances so far, failing to find form due to an apparent lack of match fitness.

The pressure might have come too fast, but there is no doubting his ability, although it could still be some time before we see 20-year-old starting in Bavaria.

Left-midfield: Jesé Rodriguez | Parent Club: Paris Saint Germain | Currently loaned to: Stoke

The first of two former Real Madrid players in this team, Jesé Rodriguez – commonly known as Jesé -- has two Champions Leagues titles as well as a La Liga, FIFA Club World Cup and Copa Del Rey with the Los Blancos.

After coming through their academy system Jesé made 94 appearances for Real Madrid scoring 18 times, and helped the side to the aforementioned honours, although mostly from a substitute role.

Unfortunately, the now 24-year-old has suffered from injuries and tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Schalke in a Champions League game the 18th of March 2014, side-lining him for nine months.

His form declined following the lay-off and he was sold to Paris Saint Germain in the summer of 2016 for a reported £25 million, but he couldn’t find form in the French capital either and was sent on loan to his birthplace Las Palmas in January 2017 until the end of the season.

Upon returning he was immediately sent out again, this time to Premier League team Stoke, and scored the winner on his debut in a 1-0 victory over Arsenal, proving he still has the quality to change big games if he can stay fit.

Right-midfield: James Rodriguez | Parent Club: Real Madrid | Currently loaned to: Bayern Munich

Another former Real Madrid player and second Rodriguez in this team, James Rodriguez is widely regarded as one of the best attacking midfielders in world football.

Besides his accomplishments with the Los Blancos, the Colombian is also his country’s captain and made himself a global superstar after impressing in the 2014 World Cup, where he also won the goal of the tournament.

The 26-year-old has accumulated a combined transfer fee of £117.49 million from his five career moves, the most notable ones being Porto to Monaco for £38.5 million and Monaco to Real Madrid for £63.75 million.

James struggled to find a spot in the Madrid team as the standard defensive 4-3-3 formation rarely allowed him the central attacking position he preferred, and competition from Isco pushed him onto the wings.

Now at Bayern Munich on loan, the Colombian looks a much happier figure in Germany and will spend the next two years at the Allianz Arena.

Centre-forward: Kylian Mbappé | Parent Club: AS Monaco | Currently loaned to: Paris Saint Germain

Possibly the biggest sensation in modern football, Kylian Mbappé is already on his way to becoming the second most expensive player of all time at the age of 18.

The crown in the jewel of a Monaco team that won the league and reached the Champions League semi-final in the 2016/17 season, the Frenchman has 27 goals in 60 appearances for the red and whites, just one short of Thierry Henry’s record of 28 in 148 games.

PSG surprised most when they signed Mbappé on loan this summer, as they had already paid a world record fee of £222 million for Neymar Jr, but as the Frenchman’s deal is only a loan they have avoided FIFA Fair-play regulations by agreeing to sign the latter for £166 million next summer.

The 18-year-old has already established a solid partnership with fellow forwards Neymar Jr and Edinson Cavani and has four goals and assists in eight games this season.

On the international stage Mbappé looks likely to go to the World Cup in Russia next year and opened his goal-scoring account for France with a strike against the Netherlands in September.

The Frenchman has the world at his feet and there is no telling how far he can go having already been nominated for the 2017 Ballon’dor.

Honorable Mentions:

Andreas Pereira – Manchester United to Valencia

Ruben Loftus-Cheek – Chelsea to Crystal Palace

Telisca – Benfica to Beşiktaş

Serge Gnabry – Bayern Munich to Hoffenheim

Diogo Jota – Atletico Madrid to Wolverhampton

Patrick Roberts – Manchester City to Celtic

Gabriel Barbosa – Internazionale to Benfica

Vincent Janssen – Tottenham to Fenerbahçe