Arsenal

Reiss Nelson, 18, Hoffenheim: A whirlwind start to Bundesliga life has seen Nelson flourish, keen to express himself and take responsibility. Often a supersub, the goals are flowing, as is his confidence, and he was named Rookie of the Month for October.

Calum Chambers, 23, Fulham: A challenging place for any defender this season. Over the last 12 weeks Chambers has completed 90 minutes in the Premier League only twice.

Takuma Asano, 24, Hannover: The forward has never played a minute of football for Arsenal since signing in 2016. On loan to his second Bundesliga club, his game time has reduced as the season wears on.

Matt Macey, 24, Plymouth Argyle: It is a tough learning curve at the bottom of League One and Macey has conceded 34 goals in 18 league matches.

David Ospina, 30, Napoli: After four seasons with Arsenal the Colombian headed to Italy to push for a starting place, but has done a fair bit of swapping from pitch to bench and back again, as Napoli have not settled on a regular first choice.

Krystian Bielik, 20, Charlton Athletic The young Pole is now out on his third loan spell as an Arsenal player and is back in the Charlton team after a spell out and criticism from the manager, Lee Bowyer, that he seems to think “he can just dribble past four players but he can’t, not in men’s football”. Amy Lawrence

Bournemouth

Brad Smith, 24, Seattle Sounders: The former Liverpool defender made six appearances for the MLS club before a hamstring injury curtailed his season. As part of the agreement, he will spend half of the 2019 season in Washington.

Connor Mahoney, 21, Birmingham: The old-school winger has been instrumental in Birmingham’s resurgence, scoring his first league goal against Sheffield Wednesday last month. Is highly-rated by coaching staff at Bournemouth.

Emerson Hyndman, 22, Hibernian: Back in the Scottish Premiership after a successful stint at Rangers, the USA international has made 11 appearances for Neil Lennon’s side. Could extend stay beyond January.

Harry Arter, 28, Cardiff City: Has endeared himself to supporters with a string of lung-busting performances, picking up five bookings along the way. “Eddie [Howe] did warn me … he said he’d get booked in training,” manager Neil Warnock said.

Matt Worthington, 20, Forest Green Rovers: The young midfielder, whose contract expires next summer, has struggled to nail down a starting berth in Mark Cooper’s side. Scored his first career goal against Cambridge United in League Two last month.

Mikael Ndjoli, 19, Kilmarnock: Hit the ground running with a goal on his first start before striking on his league debut for Steve Clarke’s side. The forward, who scored 24 goals for the Under-21s last season, has struck up a partnership with Kris Boyd.

Sam Surridge, 20, Oldham Athletic: The pacy forward scored nine goals in eight games before returning to his parent club for treatment on a hamstring injury. On his way back to full fitness. Ben Fisher

Brighton & Hove Albion

Christian Walton, 23, Wigan Athletic: Ever present in the Championship, Walton has carved out a reputation as one of the best English goalkeepers outside the top flight. He has kept five clean sheets in 16 matches.

Christian Walton in action for Wigan at Middlesbrough. Photograph: Craig Milner/News Images/Rex/Shutterstock

Dan Burn, 26, Wigan Athletic: The £4m summer arrival was loaned back to Paul Cook’s side until January but missed the start of the season with a foot injury. Will find it hard to dislodge Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk on his return to Sussex.

Oliver Norwood, 27, Sheffield United: An effortless passer of the ball, the Northern Ireland international was influential in helping Chris Wilder’s side establish themselves as the early pacesetters.

Jordan Maguire-Drew, 21, Wrexham: The young striker has scored three goals in 15 appearances for Sam Ricketts’s side. “I want to get the club back in the Football League,” he said.

Percy Tau, 24, Union Saint-Gilloise: Became Chris Hughton’s seventh summer signing before being sent out to the Belgian second tier to gain European experience. Has scored three goals.

Richie Towell, 27, Rotherham United: Returned on a season-long loan after helping Paul Warne’s side to promotion last season. Has made nine appearance this term and scored his first goal against Stoke in September.

Steven Alzate, 20, Swindon Town: That the forward signed a new contract with the Seagulls in November is a marker of his progress. Has scored two goals in his past three matches.

Tomer Hemed, 31, QPR: The Israel striker has scored four goals in 13 appearances and been key to QPR’s turnaround in form. Hemed scored 17 goals as Brighton were promoted from the Championship in 2016-17. BF

Burnley

Nahki Wells, 28, QPR: On a season-long loan at Loftus Road he has played in most league games so far and scored two goals, the most recent proving the winner in the 3-2 defeat of Brentford.

Nahki Wells seen here in action for QPR against Brentford. QPR have risen to 10th in the table after a poor start to the season. Photograph: Jed Leicester/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Jimmy Dunne, 21, Hearts: The Irish central defender has played 11 games in Scotland and chipped in with two goals. Qualified for both the Republic and the Northern Ireland, he has yet to make up his mind after appearing for the Republic’s U21s.

Conor Mitchell, 22, St Johnstone: The goalkeeper said he needed to move out of Burnley’s Academy set up to gain experience, though he has yet to start a game in Scotland.

Aiden O’Neill, 20, Central Coast Mariners: A long way to go for a loan, perhaps, though O’Neill is Australian by birth and took the opportunity to play in the A-League. The midfielder has played four times to date. Paul Wilson

Cardiff City

Omar Bogle, 26, Birmingham City: The forward has struggled for game time back in the Championship. Bogle is yet to score this season, while first-choice strike duo Che Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz have 17 league goals between them.

Rhys Healey, 23, MK Dons: The young forward has been loaned out five times either side of a serious knee injury, but is finding form with the League Two leaders, scoring five goals in 12 league games as part of a dynamic front three.

Stuart O’Keefe, 27, Plymouth: Out of contract next summer, the central midfielder has failed to make an impact in League One, moving in and out of the starting line-up.

Mark Harris, 19, Newport: Swansea-born and developed at Cardiff, the teenage winger has stayed in Wales. Largely featuring as a centre-forward off the bench, Harris has scored twice in Newport’s unexpected promotion push. Niall McVeigh

Chelsea

Nathan Baxter, 20, Yeovil Town: Baxter created history within weeks of arriving at the League Two club, going nine hours and 33 minutes without conceding a goal. Clean sheets have been rarer since September but he is firmly established as the club’s No 1.

Eduardo, 36, Vitesse: The veteran has been ever-present for Vitesse, managed by Leonid Slutsky, and has been a considerable success between the posts – earning plaudits for a side on the fringes of the top four.

Jamal Blackman, 25, Leeds United: Had played second fiddle to Bailey Peacock-Farrell at Leeds, only appearing in League Cup ties against Bolton and Preston, before breaking his tibia last week. Has returned to Chelsea.

Bradley Collins, 21, Burton Albion: Injury problems initially hindered Collins, whose spell currently runs until January. He picked up a thigh complaint during his second outing in September, but regained his place in October and now holds the No 1 jersey once more.

Baba Rahman, 24, Schalke: Has been out of the picture since two early-season starts. Spent more than a year on the sidelines after injuring his knee early in 2017 but there is little sign of a return to regular football during the remainder of this second loan in Gelsenkirchen, an 18-month stint that began in January.

Jake Clarke-Salter, 21, Vitesse: Relegated from the Championship while on loan at Sunderland last season, Clarke-Salter had a tough start at Vitesse when he was sent off against Basel in August. But the England Under-21 international has come through that to be a fixture in their defence and looks to have a bright future.

Clarke-Salter during a Vitesse game with Groningen. Photograph: VI-Images/VI-Images via Getty Images

Michael Hector, 26, Sheffield Wednesday: The centre-back has played nine times, eight from the start, for a side that has struggled so far. He was their player of the month in October and then, after being surprisingly dropped for a 4-0 home defeat to Norwich, returned as they kept a clean sheet against rivals Sheffield United.

Tomas Kalas, 25, Bristol City: A jaw injury laid Kalas low for a month from late September but, when fit, he has been Lee Johnson’s right-sided centre-back and performed well. Admitted to being disappointed when Fulham, where he spent the previous two seasons, did not sign him after their promotion but looks at home with his sixth loan club.

Todd Kane, 25, Hull City: Hull is the versatile defender/midfielder’s eighth loan club and, while Nigel Adkins’ side has had a hard time of things, Kane has been one of their more consistent performers. His contract expires next year and there is already talk that he might make the KC Stadium a longer-term home.

Matt Miazga, 23, Nantes: It is not quite going to plan for the US international in Ligue 1, where he has not been seen since a slapdash performance against Bordeaux a month ago. A string of yellow cards has not helped and there has been little succour playing in the back line of a leaky national team.

Kurt Zouma, 24, Everton: The Toffees are starting to kick on under Marco Silva and so is Zouma, who has started eight Premier League games and forged such a convincing partnership with Michael Keane that Yerry Mina faces a battle for his place upon his long-awaited return from injury.

Kenneth Omeruo, 25, Leganés: Now at his sixth loan club, Omeruo appears to have inspired some solidity since taking his place in the strugglers last month. A work permit hitch had held things up but they have lost only one of the six games in which the Nigerian international, an undoubted talent, has featured.

Trevoh Chalobah, 19, Ipswich Town: It has been a steep learning curve for the defender-turned-midfielder, but Chalobah appears to have the trust of new manager Paul Lambert. There are some rough edges but overall he looks a fine talent, scoring important goals against Aston Villa and Swansea, and has broken into the England Under-20 squad.

Trevoh Chalobah in action for Ipswich Town against Reading on 10 November. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Ipswich remaining at the bottom of the table. Photograph: Simon Dael/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Dujon Sterling, 19, Coventry City: Sterling was a shining light in Chelsea’s academy sides last season and, although there have been ups and downs as he adapts to League One, the right-back has cemented a place in the play-off chasers’ side. Injury has stalled him slightly in the last fortnight but the signs are positive.

Reece James, 19, Wigan Athletic: Championship football has come easily to James, another right-back who has been a revelation with the Latics. A brilliant free-kick against Leeds has been his headline moment but he has been consistently impressive despite not having played a senior game until this term. Paul Cook has held him up as an example to others of his age and the future looks very promising.

Jay Dasilva, 20, Bristol City: The attack-minded England Under-21 left-back has become a familiar face at City, earning a starting place in recent weeks. He set up their dramatic winner at Brentford after coming on as a substitute and been compared to Ashley Cole by his fellow loanee Kalas.

Ola Aina, 22, Torino: It has been a good start in Serie A for Aina, a versatile full-back who has played his way into a regular spot. He has featured 11 times in the league, starting eight of them, and there are suggestions the Italians will try to make his move permanent in January.

Fikayo Tomori, 20, Derby County: The centre-back has started all bar two of Derby’s Championship games, using previous experience gained at Brighton and Hull to cement his place in an exciting young side. Along with Mason Mount he was allowed to face Chelsea in the League Cup fourth round at Stamford Bridge, only to score an own goal.

Fankaty Dabo, 23, Sparta Rotterdam: The right wing-back has played six times for Dutch second-tier side Sparta, starting half of them, although injury has held him up in recent weeks. He has had a less high-profile time of things than last season, when he scored a much-replayed own goal against Groningen while at Vitesse.

Lewis Baker, 23, Leeds: Things have not yet gone to plan for Baker, whose eight Championship appearances under Marcelo Bielsa – totalling 123 minutes – have come from the bench. He has not been in the frame since 6 October and is yet to have the success in England that he enjoyed in two seasons with Vitesse.

Bekanty Victorien Angban, 22, Metz: The little-known Ivorian midfielder is making some progress with the Ligue 2 leaders, featuring regularly and impressing with a series of combative performances. He is also in his national team’s squad and hopes to feature in the Africa Cup of Nations next year.

Kenedy, 22, Newcastle United: Kenedy’s second loan spell at Newcastle started awkwardly with a late penalty miss at Cardiff but he has shone in recent weeks, scoring a superb goal at Old Trafford and crossing brilliantly for Salomón Rondón to score against Bournemouth. At his best, he can be a good top-flight player.

Nathan, 22, Atlético Mineiro: There was some excitement when the young Brazilian arrived in 2015 but this, his fourth loan, has been underwhelming so far. Only twice in seven appearances has he played for more than an hour, while his first goal and assist are still keenly awaited.

Josimar Quintero, 21, Lleida Esportiu: A year with third-tier Lleida is a step up of sorts from Real Betis’s ‘B’ side, where the Ecuadorian midfielder was sent for the back end of last season, but he has only played twice so far and risks fading further into obscurity.

Danilo Pantic, 22, Partizan Belgrade: Has been a mainstay both for Partizan and Serbia’s Under-21s, pushing on after initially rejoining them on loan last season. Joined Chelsea from Partizan in 2015 but a place at Stamford Bridge looks highly unlikely in the long run.

Mario Pasalic, 23, Atalanta: The Croatian has been in and out of Atalanta’s starting XI but has largely responded well to being handed playmaker duties during what is his fifth loan overall and his second in Serie A. He spent 2016-17 with Milan; now he is 40 miles away in Bergamo and scored on his debut against Frosinone.

Ruben Sammut, 21, Falkirk: The Scotland Under-21 midfielder is yet to amass a long run of starts for the Scottish Championship’s bottom side, although he has been heavily involved in playing 10 times overall. This is a first loan spell for Sammut, who captained Chelsea’s Under-23s last season.

Charlie Colkett, 22, Shrewsbury Town: Midfielder Colkett, whose loan at Vitesse was terminated early last season due to a lack of opportunities, returned to Shrewsbury’s side in the EFL Cup match at Crewe this month after two months on the fringes. Part of that was down to a foot injury.

Jacob Maddox, 20, Cheltenham Town: Battling relegation from League Two, Maddox has been a consistent and impressive presence in their engine room. He scored twice against Arsenal’s Under-21s, the first goals of his senior career, in the EFL Cup last month and looks a promising, tenacious all-rounder.

Kasey Palmer, 22, Blackburn Rovers: Palmer has started well for an impressive Blackburn side, playing on the right wing in a 4-2-3-1 and scoring three times – twice in the League Cup and the winner in a Championship match with Brentford. He was a bit-part player during last season’s loan at Derby but is thriving under Tony Mowbray.

Kyle Scott, 20, Telstar: The tidy attacking midfielder’s first-ever loan, to Dutch second-tier team Telstar, has begun well and he says he is enjoying the chance to play a technical brand of football. He has been a regular in the mid-table side, scoring twice.

Mason Mount, 19, Derby County: Mount always looked like a player who could thrive in the Championship but not even he could have expected a full England call-up two months into his spell. He did not play against Croatia or Spain but, with five goals already and a string of influential playmaking performances, his time will come.

Tiemoué Bakayoko, 24, Milan: Often the fall guy during a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge, Bakayoko has duly looked short of confidence in his early months at San Siro although he has started regularly in recent weeks. Numbers crunched by La Gazzetta dello Sport suggest he has been the Rossoneri’s best midfielder in that time so perhaps his fortunes are on the up.

Charly Musonda, 22, Vitesse: Once seen as a future superstar, Musonda has found himself among Chelsea’s Vitesse cohort this season after a disappointing loan at Celtic. His hopes of a breakthrough year are on hold, though, due to a shin injury he sustained during a practice game in September and he has been receiving treatment back at Cobham.

Kylian Hazard, 23, Cercle Bruges: The third Hazard signed a new two-year deal in the summer but will spend this season in Belgium. After a slow start he scored his first goal early in November, lashing home an equaliser against Mouscron. He says he went there to start games and in recent weeks he has got his wish.

Joao Rodríguez, 22, Tenerife: The Colombian is yet to get off the mark for the Segunda Division side, although only three of his seven appearances have come from the start. This is his ninth loan, most of them decidedly obscure, since joining Chelsea in 2013.

Michy Batshuayi, 25, Valencia: So far Batshuayi has been unable to replicate the success of last season’s loan at Dortmund, scoring twice in 15 games and being dropped from Marcelino’s matchday squad last weekend. There have been suggestions of an early return to Chelsea but the logistics look difficult to work out.

Ike Ugbo, 20, Scunthorpe United: Ugbo hopes to hit form at Glanford Park after underwhelming stints at Barnsley and MK Dons but has been in and out of Stuart McCall’s side. Scunthorpe will want to see a few repeats of the smartly-taken goal he scored in September at AFC Wimbledon.

Izzy Brown, 21, Leeds United: Brown tore his ACL in January while on loan at Brighton but Leeds took him on for this season at the end of the transfer window. A debut still looks some way off but there are positive signs and he returned in the Under-23 side against Brighton on Friday.

Tammy Abraham, 21, Aston Villa: Last year’s England call-up still looks some way off but the evidence is that Abraham is getting into his stride at Villa. Five goals in 11 games suggest he can again illuminate a division he tore up with Bristol City two seasons ago. Nick Ames

Crystal Palace

Jaroslaw Jach, 24, Rizsepor: The Polish defender has had a limited impact in Turkey, starting three league games and spending seven on the bench. He did, however, earn a first international call-up this month, and played in Poland’s recent friendlies against Uruguay and Mexico.

Ryan Inniss, 23, Dundee: After a run of loan moves Inniss finally made his Palace debut this season, but was soon off on another temporary deal. After a run of starts he was taken off halfway through Dundee’s thrashing by Celtic on the last day of October and has been on the bench for their last two games.

Levi Lumeka, 20, Leyton Orient: Though nominally on loan for the season, Lumeka has seen just a single minute (plus stoppages) of first-team action, and has more often been found playing for Palace’s Under-23 side.

Jason Lokilo, 20, Lorient: The Belgian winger has so far played 13 first-team minutes, and is currently out with a thigh injury.

James Daly, 18, Kingstonian: “There’s a lot to do with James, technically,” says the Palace coach Richard Shaw. “He needs to retain possession better at times, but what he does give you is an unbelievable work ethic.” He has played 14 times this season, eight of those appearances coming off the bench, and scored three times.

Tyler Brown, 20, Kingstonian: Brown has played 13 games this season, all of them from the start. Palace have closely monitored Brown and Daly’s progress, with Mark Bright watching the recent game against Lewes, and both have continued to train with the Under-23s. Simon Burnton

Everton

Ashley Williams, 34, Stoke: Williams has little future at Everton, but is a regular starter at Stoke and says he is “pleased with how it’s going”.

Henry Onyekuru, 21, Galatasaray: The Nigerian striker signed a five-year contract in 2017 but does not have a work permit so must play abroad. He is a regular starter at Galatasaray, and has played in Nigeria’s last four games (though never for more than nine minutes).

Nikola Vlasic, 21, CSKA Moscow: Still only 21, Vlasic has started every domestic and Champions League game for CSKA Moscow, won their player of the month award in September and his fourth senior cap against England last week. Marco Silva says he could still have a future at Everton: “We will follow him and take that decision.”

Nikola Vlasic playing for Croatia against England at Wembley. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA

Muhamed Besic, 26, Middlesbrough: The midfielder is in his second loan at Middlesbrough and, after an inconsistent start to the season, has become an important member of the team. “On his day he is as good as anything in this league,” says Tony Pulis.

Antonee Robinson, 21, Wigan: The Milton Keynes-born American left-back is having a fine season at Wigan, though he injured an ankle on international duty last week and is likely to be out for a month.

Callum Connolly, 21, Wigan: Connolly started 29 league games for Ipswich last season but is finding it harder to get game time at Wigan, where he has started five league games, and only two in the last two months.

Luke Garbutt, 25, Oxford United: It is nearly three years since Garbutt’s last first-team appearance for Everton. Last season’s loan at Wigan was only moderately successful and he is not excelling this season either, having not made it further than Oxford’s bench in their last seven league games.

Cuco Martina, 29, Stoke: Martina was a certain starter at right-back until injury intervened and gave 19-year-old Tom Edwards a chance to stake a claim for the spot. As a result of the youngster’s form, Martina has been on the bench for Stoke’s last two matches.

Yannick Bolasie, 29, Aston Villa: Bolasie’s comeback from long-term knee injury has been slow: he has only recently returned to full training and has been limited to substitute appearances – none of his 10 league appearances has lasted more than 28 minutes. He has declared himself fully fit for Sunday’s Birmingham derby, with Dean Smith saying he is “getting better and better”.

Shani Tarashaj, 23, Grasshoppers: Roberto Martínez predicted Tarashaj would “without a doubt have a great future” when he signed from Grasshoppers in 2016. He is now back there, where he has been sidelined by injury since August.

Kevin Mirallas, 31, Fiorentina: Mirallas has starred in just three league games for Fiorentina. The most recent, at home to Roma, saw him replaced after 53 minutes and just 13 touches. His stated desire is to sign a permanent deal in Florence: “This is the perfect club for me – like the city, beautiful and welcoming.”

Kevin Mirallas, right, facing Roma earlier this month. Photograph: Claudio Giovannini/EPA

Joe Williams, 21, Bolton: Williams has started all but Bolton’s first league match, and Phil Parkinson has described him as “a great all-round midfield player” who “is confident and good on the ball”. Silva has spoken of his admiration and a return to the first-team fold at Everton is not out of the question.

Sandro Ramírez, 23, Real Sociedad: Ramírez has concluded that “my characteristics are not compatible with English football” but they don’t appear to be massively compatible with the Real Sociedad first team either: he has started one league game, has often been shunted to the right wing when he has appeared and is yet to make a significant impact. He celebrates the first anniversary of his last first-team goal on Friday.

Matty Pennington, 24, Ipswich: The centre-back has been a resounding success at Ipswich, where he has stood out even when filling in at right-back, and was voted the club’s player of the month for September and October. SB

Fulham

Rui Fonte, 28, Lille: José Fonte’s younger brother plays as a forward but has yet to find the net – or complete a full 90 minutes – in seven appearances.

Magnus Norman, 21, Rochdale: The former England Under-18 goalkeeper has been an occasional starter for the team currently 18th in League One. Was sent off in the 0-0 draw with Bristol Rovers in October.

Marek Rodak, 21, Rotherham: Back for a second loan spell, the 6ft 4in Slovakian has been an ever-present, starting all 17 league matches and keeping five clean sheets.

Incredibly, our very own Marek Rodak has scored tonight for Slovakia U21 to give them a late 3-2 win over Iceland U21. pic.twitter.com/lVm72MYziA — Fulhamish (@FulhamishPod) September 11, 2018

Marcelo Djaló, 25, Extremadura: Has made 11 starts for a side enjoying their first season in Spain’s second tier. Might have played more games if he had not been picked up so many yellow cards.

Atli Hrafn Andrason, 19, Víkingur Reykjavik: Back in his native Iceland, the midfielder has been on the bench as much as he has been in the team and is yet to find the net.

Tayo Edun, 20, Ipswich: Has rarely featured, although he did score against Blackburn on the opening day. Did not do himself any favours by getting sent off against Aston Villa two weeks later.

Jón Dagur Thorsteinsson, 19, Vendsyssel: Has started eight games in the Danish top flight but has been replaced in five of them. Has collected more yellow cards (three) than goals (two).

Elijah Adebayo, 20, Swindon: The big striker, who can also play in defence, has featured in every one of Swindon’s matches this season, scoring four times and picking up four bookings.

Stephen Humphrys, 21, Scunthorpe: Approaching the halfway stage of his third consecutive loan and has scored five goals in 18 appearances.

Cauley Woodrow, 23, Barnsley: Has made only four appearances, but scored in his last two games. Set to return to Craven Cottage at the end of the year. Rich Flower

Huddersfield Town

Joel Coleman, 23, Shrewsbury: The promising goalkeeper, restricted to cup action last season, signed a new contract at Huddersfield in the summer before leaving for a campaign on loan at Shrewsbury. He has kept eight clean sheets in 18 matches so far for the League One side.

Jack Payne, 24, Bradford City: The midfielder had loan spells at Oxford and Blackburn last season and in the summer he returned to League One. He scored on his debut and three more times since, performing well even if the Bantams are bottom.

Regan Booty, 2o, Aldershot: A mainstay of Huddersfield youth teams since the age of nine, the midfielder was packed off in the summer to sample senior football. The 20-year-old has been a regular starter for the non-league club, including in the recent FA Cup draw with Bradford.

Lewis O’Brien, 20, Bradford City: After twice being Academy player of the of the year and featuring in the senior squad for a FA Cup match last season, he was sent to gain senior experience this term, on the back of signing a new contract. The 20-year-old has played regularly for the Bantams.

Rekeil Pyke, 21, Wrexham: The striker is regarded as a good prospect by Huddersfield even though he has yet to make a senior appearance. He was awarded a new contract earlier this month on the back of a fine start to his loan season. “He has pace and power and hopefully this will give him confidence,” said Wrexham manager Sam Ricketts. Paul Doyle