Cristian Cuevas – He has only made two appearances off the bench for Universidad de Chile this season, and has been disappointing for the club, with Tim Vickery, a well-respected south American football expert, telling me he has ‘gone backwards’ since joining them on loan. He played for Chile in the South America u20’s championships, where he scored 2 goals, one of them a 30 yard free kick in a 2-1 defeat against Brazil, and the other being a lob over the goalkeeper from 20 yards out, but the goalkeeper should have done better. Apart from this he ‘did little else’ as Chile came bottom of their group, with them losing 3-0 to Colombia and 6-1 to Chile.
Josh McEachran – McEachran’s time at Vitesse Arnhem has been more successful than Cuevas’, as he has played 8 times for them this season, but he has only started two games in the Eredivise, one of these being a 1-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven, where he ‘performed deep in midfield with the same effortless poise and vision which caught the eye at the age of 17. When the game passed through him, his contributions were pleasing and yet he did not impose his ability and dominate as you always hope he will.’ In the opinion of Matt Barlow from the Daily Mail.
Ryan Bertrand – The man who won the Champions League on his CL debut went out on loan to Southampton after a disappointing 3 appearances for the Blues in the 2013/14 season, where he was 3rd Choice left back behind Azpilicueta and Ashley Cole. He so far has played 26 times for the Saints, scoring twice. When I spoke to Adam Leitch, a journalist on the Southampton Echo who follows the club, he said that Bertrand ‘has been an excellent addition for Saints this season’ and that ‘Given Saints had Luke Shaw at left back last year it seems almost unreal that the club could have actually got not only a suitable replacement for such a player but actually what is an upgrade. In securing the services of Bertrand they have just that. Though Shaw is obviously expected to develop into a wonderful talent, he was far from the finished article last season, whereas Bertrand is much nearer that mark given his experience. He, along with Nathaniel Clyne at right back, has been a key attacking threat as well as rock solid defensively.’ High praise indeed, considering that he is an upgrade on a £30 million rated left back.
Patrick Bamford – Since the start of the season at Middlesbrough, Bamford has been one of the best strikers in the Championship, having netted 8 times in 22 appearances in the league for Middlesbrough. However, his best moment in a Middlesbrough shirt was against Manchester City in the F.A. Cup, where he scored the first of two goals that meant that City were knocked out in the fourth round. At the three loan clubs where he has been at, the other two being M.K. Dons and Derby, he has averaged nearly a goal every two games, a great scoring rate for a striker, and I hope that he comes back next season as a regularly playing 2nd/3rd choice striker (depending on Drogba retiring and Remy leaving to play more regular football) as I think the last three seasons on loan have shown he deserves the opportunity to step up into the premier league with us. Patrick Bamford has become a real fans favourite. Despite struggling at first, he found his touch and he is now scoring consistently. He is a hard working player, something that will not go unnoticed by one Jose Mourinho.
Kenneth Omeruo – So far he has made 16 appearances for Middlesbrough this season, as well as making fourteen appearances during the last campaign. A Middlesbrough fan that I have managed to have close contact with stated “Kenneth Omeruo is the opposite of Bamford. He had a great start, looked a really good quality defender. He got edge out by Daniel Ayala and can’t seem to get back in. He is also a big hit with the fans.’ I believe that this will be good for him in the long term, as it will help him to learn about dealing with disappointment, so if he returns to Chelsea he will be ready for any negatives thrown his way.
Tomas Kalas – Tomas Kalas originally started this season on loan in Germany, playing for FC Koln. His time there was majorly disappointing time, he played only 2 reserve games. Despite making his Chelsea debut against Liverpool in a major game in the season. In which he showed signs that he is a great defender, with a lot of potential. After cutting his loan spell short, he has also gone on loan to Middlesbrough. Aitor Karanka says he is a ‘very good player’ but has picked up an injury so didn’t play against Man City.
