A grand total of 118 Premier League players were loaned out in the summer transfer window. Fulham did not take the opportunity to arrange loan deals for any promising or out-of-favour members of their senior squad, but all of the other 19 clubs in the division did, to varying degrees of success.
We are not even halfway through the season yet, but some of the more high-profile loanees are already being deemed failures, including Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling. Sancho made a bright start at Chelsea after leaving Manchester United before tailing off dramatically, while Sterling has made zero impact at Arsenal since his switch away from Stamford Bridge.
There is never a guarantee that a fresh start will reignite the spark in talented players. But there are times when it does, like Daniel Sturridge at Bolton Wanderers back in 2011, or more recently, Jesse Lingard at West Ham.
A decent loan spell can be even more important for talented youngsters lacking first-team experience. If they impress elsewhere, a regular spot at their parent club is often the end reward. With all that in mind, GOAL has listed the eight best Premier League loanees of the 2024-25 campaign so far, starting with a forgotten man still on the books at the Emirates Stadium...