Everton Loans Recap: Season so far, Pt 1

Everton have 14 players out on loan this season, in a pretty even mix of youngsters still trying to establish themselves in the senior squad and other players whose futures evidently lie elsewhere while the Blues can find adequate compensation for them.

In Part 1 today we take a look at the youngsters who could yet be part of the Everton side in the future.

Nikola Vlasic

If Marcel Brands and Marco Silva are given a chance to take back a deal they made over the summer, it’ll likely be this one. Vlasic has gone on loan to CSKA Moscow and quickly shown that the Blues never really gave him a chance to show what he had at the central attacking midfielder position. With Kieran Dowell struggling there and the Blues apparently now looking at Samir Nasri for that role, it does appear a mistake was made in not keeping the 21-year-old for Gylfi Sigurdsson’s backup.

Vlasic has played in 9 games for the Russian side in the Premier Liga and Champions Leagues, scoring thrice with two assists, including this winner against the defending champions Real Madrid.

The Croatian’s camp seem to be saying that he will not be returning to Everton even at the end of the season - if he continued to play like he has, then he might have some ammunition to ask for a transfer away, though that will allow the Blues to make a tidy profit on top of the £8 million he was bought for.

Henry Onyekuru

This season has not been smooth sailing for the Nigerian forward. Despite making a hot start to the season with Galatasaray with two goals in his first three games, the scoring has since dried up. The Turkish side under Fatih Terim is in indifferent form and Onyekuru has lined up all across the front line in a 4-3-3 formation, but has been unable to break his scoring drought.

He’s averaging 1.7 shots with 1.5 successful dribbles per 90 min, but is also losing the ball 5.5 times per 90 min, so there’s certainly room for improvement for the youngster. The 21-year-old does seem to have become a regular fixture with the national side, Nigeria’s Super Eagles, so there’s that still going in his favour.

Onyekuru might still not be ready for the Premier League, but Everton fans will want to see him in England next season so a loan deal to the Championship might be a way for Marcel Brands and the scouting group to keep a closer eye on the player.

Sandro Ramirez

Things have not gone well for the Spaniard out on loan at Real Sociedad in La Liga. Soon after the transfer he fell victim to ligament issues, and he only just made his debut in the last week of September. He’s made two substitute appearances both in the league, averaging 1.5 shots and getting dispossessed 4.6 times per 90 minutes played.

Sandro looked a bit better in the preseason this summer, and appeared to have won the favour of Silva but the manager thought it best to give him a chance to go back to Spain and find his confidence again. So far the move does not appear to have panned out, let’s see how the rest of the season plays out.

Antonee Robinson

For all his potential, the 21-year-old has been victimized at the international level and is learning by being tossed in the fire. The United States team has taken on Brazil and Colombia in consecutive international breaks, and Robinson has had to deal with world class players like Douglas Costa, Juan Cuadrado and James Rodriguez and has come off decidedly second best.

In the Championship though, where he’s on loan at Wigan Athletic, Robinson has been very good. He’s making 32.8 passes (0.7 key passes), and 1.5 successful dribbles per 90 min played, and defensively contributing as well with 2.2 successful tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 2.9 clearances and 1.2 blocks per 90 min played.

Robinson is showing that Silva was right to not keep him with the senior squad quite yet, but with Leighton Baines’ contract expiring at the end of this season, there is still time for the young American to win a place at the Blues for next season.

Callum Connolly

Everton’s human Swiss knife is continuing to reprise that role on loan at Wigan too. Connolly has over the years lined up as fullback as well as defensive midfielder, and at the Latics he’s been used in the CDM role as well as out on the right in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Connolly made an excellent debut scoring in his first game, but hasn’t been able to get any more since then. The recently-turned 21-year-old has 23.8 passes (0.3 key passes), and 2 shots per 90 min played, and defensively 1 successful tackles, 1 interceptions, 1.5 clearances and 1.1 blocks per 90 min played.

The youngster is yet to show that he is ready to make the step up to the Premier League, and has also lost his spot in the England Under-21 squad, so he’s got some hard work ahead of him.

Joe Williams

After injury marred his summer and preseason, and likely costing him a place in the senior squad this season, Williams has been back to his best out on loan again in the Championship, this time with Bolton Wanderers. He has quickly become a key member of the squad, playing in his favoured central midfield role.

At Barnsley last season the 21-year-old built his reputation as a no-nonsense, tough-tackling midfielder and the Trotters are seeing the same side of the player as well, but Williams is playing more of a box-to-box midfielder role and doing quite well at it too.

He has 40.4 passes and 0.9 shots per 90 min played, and defensively 3 successful tackles, 2.1 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and 2.2 blocks per 90 min played.

Matthew Pennington

The last of the young ‘uns, the central defender has had an up and down season on loan at Ipswich Town. He struggled initially at the centrehalf position and subsequently has been moved out to right back where he’s scored a goal from a corner, and also got himself sent off for two cautions as well.

The clock is ticking on Pennington who is now 24 and it remains very unlikely that he’ll play for the Blues’ senior side again.