It was a quieter week than usual on the loan front, with just one goal to take us to 99 overall for the season, but there’s still a lot to play for in the final weeks of the season.

Headliners

The goal was scored by Alvaro Morata during Atlético Madrid’s midweek win over Valencia. It was his sixth for his new club, more than he scored in his time at Chelsea this season, and he certainly seems happier back in Spain.

He played seventy minutes against Valladolid on Saturday but wasn’t able to add to his tally.

In France, Metz beat Red Star on Friday night to secure promotion back to Ligue 1, and in doing so triggered the obligation to sign Victorien Angban outright. The Ivorian midfielder has been a mainstay of their midfield this season and is now set to confirm a €6m move this summer.

Victorien Angban will join Metz permanently if they secure promotion Ligue 1 tonight. It is a clause in his loan move, as first reported on @goal. https://t.co/jMUnejSqFX — Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) April 26, 2019

England

Premier League

There was ninety minutes for Kurt Zouma as Everton kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw against Crystal Palace, for whom Michy Batshuayi was once again an unused substitute.

Kenedy made his first appearance for Newcastle since the first day of April when he was pressed into first-half action from the bench away to Brighton following an injury to Ayoze Perez.

Championship

The match of the weekend from a Chelsea loanee perspective saw Bristol City host Derby at Ashton Gate in a match that would go a long way to helping decide who would take the fourth and final playoff place. Derby edged it 2-0, despite a strong home performance, and the decisive second goal was laid on by the in-form Mason Mount.

Fikayo Tomori, in his 49th appearance of the season, was forced off early through injury but Frank Lampard hopes to have him back this week after describing the knock as a dead leg. Tomas Kalas and Jay Dasilva played well for the hosts, while Kasey Palmer came on as a substitute in the second half but couldn’t help to change the outcome. Derby now travel to Swansea in midweek knowing a win there would all but book their ticket, leaving them three points ahead of Middlesbrough going into the final day of the season, while City head to Millwall in must-win mode to keep the pressure up on the Rams just in case they slip up.

Elsewhere, Trevoh Chalobah came on after just eight minutes of Ipswich’s defeat to Sheffield United after Will Keane picked up the umpteenth injury of his ailment-plagued career, but could do nothing to stop a 2-0 defeat that saw the Blades promoted to the Premier League. Confirmation of that only came on Sunday, after Leeds drew with Aston Villa, but neither Izzy Brown nor Tammy Abraham (shoulder) featured.

Todd Kane didn’t play for Hull at Swansea, and won’t feature again this season, as manager Nigel Adkins wants to protect him ahead of an important summer in his career. Three years ago, Kane was in superb form on loan at NEC Nijmegen, and looked set to be recalled to Chelsea to compete for a place in Antonio Conte’s first-team squad. He suffered a serious knee injury late in the campaign, setting his plans back, and as he approaches an off-season where he will be a 25 year-old free agent, taking him out of the firing line with nothing left to play for is a small but noteworthy gesture from Adkins.

Nigel Adkins didn’t play Todd Kane to “protect” him ahead of becoming a free agent but he’s not ruled out Fraizer Campbell playing next weekend #hcafc https://t.co/xpjAj8zKKe — Philip Buckingham (@PJBuckingham) April 28, 2019

Wigan too decided not to call upon the services of Reece James away to Birmingham, making it the first league match the 19 year-old has missed all season, but Lewis Baker and Matt Miazga did turn out from start to finish for Reading again. They lost 2-1 at Middlesbrough but results elsewhere mean their efforts in trying to help the Royals avoid relegation were successful.

Michael Hector and Sheffield Wednesday threw off their typically defensive shackles and drew 3-3 at Preston in an entertaining end-of-season affair.

League One

Dujon Sterling played all but a few seconds of stoppage time as Coventry drew 1-1 with Shrewsbury in their last home match of the season, while Brad Collins is likely done at Burton as he continues to sit out through injury.

League Two

A tumultuous season for Nathan Baxter and Yeovil Town came to a crushing conclusion on Saturday, as their sixteen-year stay as a Football League club was brought to an end by a 2-2 draw at Northampton, a result that confirmed their relegation. The 20 year-old stopper set a club record for minutes without conceding earlier in the season, and captained the side not long after that, in a demonstration of his importance to their fortunes. He alone couldn’t keep them afloat though, and it’s a sad end to what has been a terrific story at times, the Glovers reaching the Championship at their peak.

Jacob Maddox was brought back into the Cheltenham starting eleven for the first time since March 2nd, limping off after 71 minutes of their win against Swindon, but his day was improved when he was named the club’s Young Player of the Season.

Jacob Maddox has won Cheltenham's Young Player of the Year award! #CFC #LoanArmy — Ram Srinivas (@rramesss) April 28, 2019

Non-League

Jack Wakely played in Basingstoke Town’s last-ever match at the Camrose Ground, a 2-1 defeat to Taunton Town that confirmed their relegation.

Ethan Wady’s Tooting & Mitcham United beat FC Romania 2-1 in the last match of league season; they now prepare for the Surrey Senior Cup Final.

Italy

In Torino’s 2-0 win over Milan, Tiémoué Bakayoko played ninety minutes, and Ola Aina came off the bench for the closing stages for the hosts, who are now just two points off a Champions League place and above their defeated foes.

After scoring a dramatic late winner against Napoli in the league last weekend, Mario Pašalić saw half an hour of midweek Coppa Italia action, helping Atalanta to hold on against Fiorentina for a place in the Final next month against Lazio. Udinese come to town on Monday night as their own Champions League chase continues in Serie A.

Lucas Piazon was an unused substitute for Chievo.

Spain

Kenneth Omeruo was named Man of the Match as Leganés drew 0-0 with Celta Vigo and a wonderful goalline clearance from the Nigerian helped to secure the point that almost confirms their place in La Liga next season.

Josimar Quintero didn’t feature for Lleida this weekend.

Germany

Christian Pulisic played the last twelve minutes of Dortmund’s heated derby against Schalke that will almost certainly cost them any lingering hopes of winning the Bundesliga title. They had two men sent off in a 4-2 defeat and, despite Bayern also dropping points on Sunday at Nurnberg, the damage may have been done.

Netherlands

Jake Clarke-Salter went up against Champions League Semi Finalists Ajax in midweek but Vitesse lost 4-2. He played to a decent level, Eduardo was the backup goalkeeper, and there was no weekend action as the Eredivisie moved the entire round of fixtures to mid-May to allow Ajax more preparation for their big tie against Tottenham this coming week.

Fankaty Dabo’s injury-hit season came back to haunt him again as he lasted just nineteen minutes of Sparta Rotterdam’s 2-2 draw against Jong Ajax on Friday.

France

Baba Rahman played all of Reims’ draw at Angers, a result that leaves them eighth with four matches to go, five points adrift of Marseille in fifth.

Belgium

As noted last week, Kylian Hazard’s season at Cercle Brugge is over because of injury.

Turkey

Victor Moses is also on the treatment table right now, a groin strain keeping him out of a second straight Fenerbahce match.

Serbia

Danilo Pantic played 79 minutes for Partizan in a losing cause against Crvena Zvezda in the Belgrade derby.

Northern Ireland

Jared Thompson finished his loan spell at Warrenpoint Town in a 1-1 draw against Ards after a 2-2 draw away to Glentorian in midweek. He kept four clean sheets in thirteen games, helping them to avoid relegation, and to a cup semi final.

Brazil

Nathan was an unused substitute in Atlético-MG’s Serie A season opener against Avaí.

Statistics

Started: July 14th

Final: May 29th







