The best loan acquisitions in the EFL Championship this summer (ranked)
Cash can be plentiful in the EFL, but sometimes top-tier talent is the greatest way to conduct business,
Loan agreements may be extremely helpful, as seen by Burnley’s promotion from the Championship last season.
This season, some exceptional loanees have made an impression, including Jay Stansfield, who scored a last-minute winner on his debut for Birmingham City.
Liam Delap and Cesare Casadei have both improved significantly this season, with Delap scoring goals and impressing with his performances for Hull and Leicester, respectively.
No matter how much money you spend on transfers or bring in from abroad, a loan transaction is sometimes the best option.
Just look at last season’s Championship campaign to see what I mean. Burnley signed Premier League players Ian Maatsen, Nathan Tella, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, while Manchester City’s Tommy Doyle and James McAtee moved across the Pennines to join Sheffield United, and Luton Town signed Cody Drameh and Marvellous Nakamba to propel them to promotion.
This season, a slew of trades have attracted the eye; Drameh and Harwood-Bellis have returned to the second tier, but are yet to make an impact – and others have already made their mark in a challenging league. Football League World looks at four loanees who have captured the attention of the club.
Stansfield spent last year on loan at Exeter City, following in the footsteps of his late father Adam, but when he moved on loan to Birmingham City this summer, there were concerns about how well he would perform.
He’s only played 100 minutes for the Blues, but scoring a last-minute victory on your debut is a great way to win over the home crowd – especially against Exeter’s rivals Plymouth Argyle. Another goal in the home draw with Millwall underlines that Stansfield has the potential to go all the way.
Delap struggled on loan at Stoke City and Preston North End last season. In 37 games in the second division, he was rewarded with just four goals – three at Stoke and one at Deepdale.
But Delap appears to have made a breakthrough this season, at least in the beginning. A goal for Hull on the first day of the season against Norwich, his first ever assist in the second tier against Bristol City, and the winner at Leicester over the weekend show that he’s really strutting his stuff.
We saw how brilliant Casadei was despite Reading’s relegation last season, and his productivity is obvious in a side that will no sure be fighting for the title by the end of the season.
The former Inter Milan prodigy scored on his debut for the Foxes with a last-minute winner against Cardiff, and you only have to look at him battling his way into the Reading first-team last season at the age of 20 to know he has a lot about him.
This might be a very good midfield combination, led by Wilfried Ndidi, alongside Kieran Dewsbury-Hall and Harry Winks.
They say good things come in twos, which is why Stoke City have decided to bring Ki-Jana Hoever back on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers during the summer transfer season.
Last season, the Dutchman dazzled with four goals in 15 appearances from right-back, a position he hadn’t really mastered at either Liverpool or Wolves.
Given another chance to flourish at the bet365 Stadium this season, he scored on his second appearance against Rotherham and appears to be a wise acquisition. There is no doubt that his ceiling is far above the second tier.
