Which of these nine stars has done the best away from Anfield?
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Eight Liverpool players are currently on season long loans away from the club, and you can read an update on how they’re progressing, for better or for worse, right here…
Youngsters Kevin Stewart, Lloyd Jones and Jack Dunn are currently enjoying a month-long loan spell at Cheltenham, while Australian international Brad Smith spent time at League One outfit Swindon at the start of the season, too. We haven’t ranked them, as their loan deals are short, and sadly – their chances of ever playing regular first-team football for Liverpool seem pretty slim.
9) Rafa Paez – Bologna
Heard of this guy? We’re sure that some of you might not have! He’s a 20-year-old Spanish centre-back, and he arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2013 after being released by Real Madrid. He played for the reserves last term, and was shipped out to Bologna in Serie B this season, with the Italians securing an option to buy him for €2.2m. It seems unlikely they’ll take us up on it however, with Paez only making three appearances so far. Unlikely to ever make the grade at Anfield.
8) Tiago Ilori – Bordeaux
Remember this £7m signing? On transfer deadline day in summer 2013, we secured deals for Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori, and while the former is beginning to flourish, the latter has still not played a single minute of first-team football. He began his loan spell in France well – bagging a goal on his second Ligue 1 appearance, but a cruel injury picked up on October 3rd has totally ruined his season. The young Portuguese hasn’t played since…
7) Sebastian Coates – Sunderland
The Uruguayan is spending the season with the Black Cats, but injuries have largely meant his countryman Gus Poyet has not been able to select him. He made his first start at the beginning of December, and was part of a defence that leaked four at home to champions Manchester City. Coates was excellent versus Newcastle though in the Tyneside derby victory, and is likely to return to the lineup for their next fixture – having sat out Sunderland’s latest defeat to us due to the loan restrictions we included in the deal. Hopefully he’ll get a run of games in the side until the summer.
6) Luis Alberto – Malaga
Unfortunately, Alberto’s only been used as a bit-part player for the Spaniards this term, which is curtailing his development. The 22-year-old’s been awarded just the five La Liga starts and six games from the bench – although to be fair – he’s registered two goals and an assist in that time. With Malaga pushing for Europa League spots, they’ve preferred to use defensive midfielders such as Sergi Darder and Ignacio Camacho, and unless the Spaniards change to play a more attacking brand of football – Alberto could remain on the bench.
5) João Carlos Teixeira – Brighton
Teixeira is 21-years-old, and although that’s pretty young, he’ll need to seriously begin to impress if he’s going to make the Anfield grade. In the Championship though, he’s doing pretty well. In 17 first-team appearances for the Seagulls this campaign, he’s notched twice, and provided their final third with creativity and vision. He’s struggled to deal with the physicality of the league at times, but if he wants to maximise his talent, that’s something he’ll eventually need to conquer.
4) Divock Origi – Lille
The Belgian striker started the season in promising form, and by the start of October, he’d already notched four goals. However, since then – he hasn’t bagged once in 15 matches, and has been booed by the Lille fans as a result. Origi is only 19-years-old, and the calls for him to return to Anfield and directly replace the injured Daniel Sturridge have been farcical, as proven by his barren spell in France. Let’s hope he can re-find his scoring boots from here on. Only time will tell if he’ll eventually justify his cool £10m price-tag.
3) Andre Wisdom – West Brom
The England Under-21 international has been virtually ever-present for the Baggies, and the Premier League experience is going to do him a world of good. He registered one superb assist for a Saido Berahino goal versus Man United (will we see that combination for Liverpool one day?), and has been largely defensively consistent, too. He needs to make more tackles and interceptions per game, but with Glen Johnson having been injured for most of the season, many will question whether we should have sent Wisdom on loan at all.
2) Iago Aspas – Sevilla
Aspas has not been given a single start in La Liga, but judging by his performances in the Copa Del Rey, he probably should have been! In three appearances in this competition, Aspas has notched six goals – including a four-minute hat-trick, even faster than Robbie Fowler’s one back in 1994!
1) Jordon Ibe – Derby County
Ibe has been part of an exciting, free-flowing Derby County side, who currently sit jointly at top of the Championship table. In 20 appearances in the notoriously difficult league, the 19-year-old has notched five goals, and provided a consistently menacing presence on either flank he’s been deployed. His progress has earned rave reviews from the Rams’ management and playing staff alike, and if he carries on progressing at this rate, he’ll be part of our first-team squad in 2015/16.
