Sancho, Cancelo feature in 10 Premier League loanees who won’t play for their club again

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24 Feb 2024

Here are ten Premier League players currently out on loan that we think have played their final match for their parent club.
Picking someone who is out of contract when their loan spell ends is too much of a tap-in, so we have avoided that. We were also reluctant to add players who have an option or obligation to buy included in their loan agreements, but may have made one or two exceptions…

Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
We were given some juicy fallout rubbish that turned out not to be all rubbish when Joao Cancelo was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich in the 2023 winter transfer window. It was a move that initially raised eyebrows given his incredible past performances for Manchester City, but quickly made sense when the player failed to shine in Bavaria and Pep Guardiola’s side became one of the best defensive teams in world football, if not the best.
Upon the Portuguese full-back’s return to his parent club, he was linked with both Arsenal and Barcelona, though a move to the latter always felt the more plausible of the two, even given their money trouble.
Bayern and Manchester City did not want to keep Cancelo and he ended up joining Barca on loan for 2023/24. He has been fine at the Nou Camp and is sure to be sold this summer when another loan expires. Whether the Blaugrana muster up the necessary funds remains to be seen.

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Jadon Sancho (Manchester United)
Now, this is what you call a fall out. The breakdown in relationship between Jadon Sancho and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag truly was box office stuff, until it wasn’t.
The drama quickly became boring, with Sancho needing to apologise for essentially telling two million social media followers that his boss is a liar. It wasn’t a good look from the player, and it wasn’t the best form from Ten Hag either, receiving criticism for not keeping his issue with Sancho in-house.
It was unclear whether or not Sancho would be sold or loaned in the January transfer window but as long as Ten Hag was at the club, he was not going to be playing for Manchester United. The 23-year-old went back to Borussia Dortmund on loan and is enjoying his football again. The Red Devils are also doing quite well without that cloud hanging over them.

Having cost the club £73million, they will probably cut ties at the end of the season, unless Ten Hag is relieved of his duties.

Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa)
Coutinho’s return to the Premier League excited the vast majority of us. Reunited with his former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was a nice story. Unfortunately for Aston Villa, the Brazilian was well past his best and the Reds legend was a bit rubbish at being a manager.
The Villans ended Coutinho’s Barcelona nightmare by signing him for around £15m, which many thought was a bargain. He provided seven goal contributions in his first eight appearances for the Midlands outfit but two in 33 afterwards left a lot to be desired.
After 24 minutes of Premier League action in 2023/24, Unai Emery shipped Coutinho out to Qatar, where he has scored four goals for Al Duhail. Failing to get your career back on track in the Middle East is a definitive sign that you belong out there.

Steven Gerrard has played with and managed Philippe Coutinho.
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Tanguy Ndombele (Tottenham)
Tottenham paid a club-record £55m for Ndombele after he impressed for Lyon in the Champions League and Ligue 1, but after a decent start to life in north London, it became clear that the French midfielder was not suited for the Premier League. A few years on, it’s not entirely clear whether he’s suited for football at all.

Technically he is outstanding, but there is no desire there and Ndombele doesn’t exactly hide it, trotting about on the pitch while looking out of shape. He is one of the worst signings in Premier League history and is now struggling for minutes at Galatasaray after a poor spell on loan at Napoli last season.
The 27-year-old is under contract at Spurs until 2025 and the Turkish giants have a £12m buy clause in their agreement with Ange Postecoglou’s side. That would be a waste of funds from Galatasaray’s point of view and this smells of a contract termination in the summer.

Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea)
Another player currently on loan at Galatasaray, we were reluctant to include Ziyech because he has a buy obligation in his loan deal that probably will be triggered at the end of 23/24. We say probably because there are conditions to make the transfer from Chelsea permanent.

The Moroccan playmaker joined the Blues for around £35m after an immense stint with Ajax, establishing himself as arguably their most important player under Ten Hag in 2019. Andre Onana, Dusan Tadic, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt and Donny van de Beek were all in that team, so that is high praise indeed.
It never really clicked for Ziyech at Stamford Bridge. Another player with a lot more technical ability than effort on the pitch, he was a part of the squad that won the Champions League under Thomas Tuchel. He might not have played a single minute in the final victory over Manchester City, but he was there.

Mason Holgate (Everton)
If Everton have any sense about them (which they actually might not), they will sell Holgate at the end of the season. He is under contract until 2025 and is clearly not Premier League standard. The Toffees should try and get a fee from some sucker in the Championship while they can.

Holgate joined Sheffield United on loan in January after struggling for minutes at Southampton during the first half of the season. In his three Premier League appearances for the Blades, the 27-year-old has lost 5-0 at home twice and got sent off for one of the nastiest ‘tackles’ you will see in a long time after 13 minutes against Brighton. Sky Sports co-commentator Andy Hinchcliffe said that Holgate went out to “do” Kaoru Mitoma and he was not wrong. It was a thuggish thing to do and the boos for Mitoma from the Bramall Lane faithful were laughable.
Anyway, Holgate’s inclusion is not just an excuse to bash him. After 149 appearances for the club, he surely won’t play for Everton again.

Donny van de Beek (Manchester United)
We mentioned Van de Beek as one of the key cogs for Ajax and he was just that. A superb box-to-box midfielder who could shrewdly get in the box at the perfect time, the Netherlands international was snapped up by the Red Devils in September 2020.

That transfer killed his career. It felt at the time like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought him to the club just so Manchester United got someone and looking back at the player’s time at Old Trafford, that feels pretty feasible.
Van de Beek never became a regular starter under Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick, and there was no change under Ten Hag, despite his previous success under his old Ajax boss. It will never happen for him at Old Trafford and a loan spell at Frankfurt is a decent opportunity to put himself in the shop window this summer. The German outfit have an option to buy included in the loan agreement but it would not be surprising to see that ignored.

Goncalo Guedes (Wolves)
Guedes is a player who has cost over €100m in transfers in his career and has played for Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia, but that was very hard to tell whenever he took to the pitch for Wolves. He also has a respectable seven goals in 32 Portugal caps.What looked like an ambitious and potentially superb signing at the time, Guedes cost Wolves around £28m in 2022 but he has had more loan transfers (three) than goals for the club (two) since.

He is currently at Benfica – his second loan back at his former club – and is under contract until 2027. With no option to buy included, Guedes will presumably return to Molineux only to go back to the Portuguese giants on a temporary basis. It will probably be a case of rinse and repeat until he is free to leave for nothing in three years. Wolves could really do with the funds, mind.

Nat Phillips (Liverpool)
Liverpool legend Phillips was an important player during the famous injury crisis of 2021, helping the Reds qualify for the Champions League. Talk of a move to Burnley or Leeds United then circulated but the big centre-half stayed at Anfield to provide cover in the vain hope Virgil van Dijk’s knee would get snapped again.
Still only 26, Phillips has spent time on loan at Bournemouth and Celtic since his solid performances in 20/21 and returned from a spell north of the border in January to join Championship side Cardiff City for the remainder of this campaign.

Another player on this list who can become a free agent next year, Phillips has quickly become a regular starter in the Welsh capital. The second tier is definitely his level and Liverpool would be silly not to sell while they can this summer.

Emmanuel Dennis (Nottingham Forest)
Nigerian striker Dennis was a revelation at Watford and a contender for signing of the season after joining from Club Brugge for a measly £3m in July 2021. He scored ten goals in 33 games as the Hornets were relegated from the Premier League, joining 400 other new players at Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2022.
Minutes were hard to come by in his debut campaign at the City Ground and any momentum Dennis had in Our League was lost. He was sent to Istanbul Basaksehir on loan for the season but a lack of minutes in Turkey presented the perfect opportunity to get up and running again: a return to Vicarage Road.

A slow start at his old club hints that Dennis will not become a success for Forest. Off you pop in the summer, son.

Isaac Hayden (Newcastle United)
A handy player when Newcastle were in the trenches, Hayden has not played for the Magpies since a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in December 2021.
Injury troubles and a takeover at St James’ Park have resulted in a lack of playing time and loan spells for the former Arsenal youngster, who is still 28 years young, you might be surprised to learn!
Since his last appearance for Newcastle, Hayden has spent time with Norwich City, Standard Liege, and is now at Queens Park Rangers. QPR might not have a buy option but it is safe to say that Hayden will not be coming back to his parent club to compete for a starting berth with Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
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Man Utd line up Juve defender, Betis bargain as Chelsea eye Arsenal keeper

Chelsea remain keen to offer Aaron Ramsdale an escape route from the Arsenal bench, while Manchester United are linked with a defender from Serie A and a La Liga-based midfielder…
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An unintended consequence of Chelsea winning the Carabao Cup final could be even tighter financial restrictions on the Blues next season if they have to abide by UEFA’s FFP processes as well as Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules. But that doesn’t seem to be stopping them from having a nosey in the market…

Mauricio Pochettino is on the look out for a new goalkeeper with Robert Sanchez already being ushered towards the exit door. HITC reckon Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale is a target as the England keeper prepares to leave the Emirates rather than remain on Mikel Arteta’s bench.
Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili is also understood to be under consideration but Ramsdale remains the primary target for the Blues. Though the Arsenal keeper won’t come cheap simply because he’s second choice at present. Reports earlier this season suggested the Gunners might ask for as much as £50million for David Raya’s stand-in.
Chelsea are also watching Jules Kounde, according to Fichajes, with Barcelona open to selling the former Sevilla defender, who has been playing out of position at right-back.
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Where are they now? Chelsea’s XI from the 2022 League Cup final

Chelsea lost on penalties to Liverpool after a goalless draw in the 2022 League Cup final – & their squad was soon to change dramatically.
Within 18 months of the match at Wembley, no fewer than 13 of Chelsea’s starting line-up and used substitutes had left Stamford Bridge following Todd Boehly’s takeover in May 2022.

We’ve done some digging to discover what each of Chelsea’s players from the final are up to in 2024.

GK: Edouard Mendy (Kepa Arrizabalaga 120′)

Mendy was a Chelsea hero during his early days at Stamford Bridge, playing a key role in the club’s Champions League triumph in 2021.
Despite being the Blues’ No. 1, the Senegal international didn’t feature in the Carabao Cup that season until the final – and he was still subbed at the end of extra-time.
After falling out of form and favour, Mendy left Stamford Bridge for Al-Hilal in 2023 and is now first choice at the Saudi Pro League club.
Kepa’s rollercoaster spell at Stamford Bridge is well-documented, perhaps summarised by him missing the crucial penalty in the shoot-out at Wembley.
The Spaniard was offloaded to Real Madrid on a season-long loan in August 2023, replacing the injured Thibaut Courtois at the Bernabeu.
After injuries and some unconvincing performances, Kepa has now been dropped in favour of Andriy Lunin. His £71million move to Chelsea in 2018 is still a world-record fee for a goalkeeper.

RWB: Cesar Azpilicueta (Reece James 57′)

Chelsea fans have plenty of fond Azpilicueta memories to treasure, but the defender decided to move on last summer after a whopping 508 appearances for the club.
After joining Atletico Madrid on a free transfer, the 34-year-old has been a regular in Diego Simeone’s mean backline.
Meanwhile, James remains at Stamford Bridge but has endured a torrid run of injuries that has hampered his career.
The defender missed the 2022 World Cup and underwent hamstring surgery in December 2023. The club captain has only played nine times in 2023-24.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah

Chalobah enjoyed a breakout season in 2021-22, impressing under Thomas Tuchel and making 30 appearances as the club lost both domestic cup finals.
The defender made another 33 appearances the following season, but has been frozen out by Mauricio Pochettino and has not played this season due to injuries.

Now aged 24, Chalobah is up for sale at Chelsea and almost joined Bayern Munich in August 2023. His future looks like being away from Stamford Bridge.

CB: Thiago Silva

Even in the twilight years of his career, Silva oozes class and has been an incredibly successful signing for Chelsea
He has remained an integral player under Mauricio Pochettino, although some would question his continued place in the starting XI, but his contract at Stamford Bridge is set to expire in the summer.
The 39-year-old has remained tight-lipped over his future amid links to Brazilian outfit Fluminense. He’ll certainly receive a heroes goodbye at the end of his Chelsea spell

CB: Antonio Rudiger

Rudiger has slotted seamlessly into Real Madrid’s backline since joining the club in 2022 and remains the weirdest footballer around. We be he killed ants with a magnifying class as a child…
We're delighted to announce that Antonio Rudiger is still very, very strange.
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LWB: Marcos Alonso

Having racked up over 200 appearances for Chelsea, Alonso was an important member of the group that regularly lifted silverware in the 2010s. He spent a total of six years at the club before joining Barcelona in 2022.
The 33-year-old still plays for the Catalan giants today, although he’s not played much in 2023-24 due to injury. With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, it’s likely that he’ll be on the move again.

CM: N’Golo Kante

Chelsea paid just £32million to land the French midfielder which has to be seen as one of the deals of the century.
After enjoying seven years with the club and collecting six trophies and thousands of hearts along the way, Kante exited in the summer of 2023 and joined Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad.
However, since moving to Saudi Arabia, things haven’t been particularly smooth sailing for the 32-year-old. Al-Ittihad have fallen well below expectations this season and players like Kante will be expected to step up and transform their fortunes.
Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante points during their Premier League victory over Leicester City at Stamford Bridge, London, August 2022.
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CM: Mateo Kovacic (Jorginho 106′)

Kovacic was always an underrated operator and Pep Guardiola swooped to sign the Croatia midfielder to replace Ilkay Gundogan at Manchester City after the 2022-23 season.
The midfielder has played 26 times in all competitions as City remain in contention to repeat their treble-winning success of last year.

Jorginho was sold to Arsenal in January, where he has been in and out of the starting line-up. He’s only managed five Premier League starts this season, although Arteta clearly values his impact on the squad.
“I’m really happy with Jorgi, I think we all are,” Arteta told reporters in January. “He contributes a lot and makes the team better.”
The 32-year-old does have admirers in Italy, although it remains to be seen if Arsenal will offer him a contract extension this summer.

CAM: Mason Mount (Romelu Lukaku 74′)

Of all of Chelsea’s departures last summer, Mount’s move to Manchester United was arguably the most surprising.
The midfielder admitted it was tough to leave Stamford Bridge, but also recognised that he was after a fresh challenge after stagnating under Graham Potter.
Sadly, the move northwards has yet to truly spark; Mount has spent several months out injured, has lost his England place and it’s a struggle to see where he fits in United’s best XI.

Just a few months after signing for £97.5million, Lukaku gave a controversial interview to Sky Italia where he fired several shots at Thomas Tuchel. Understandably so, this didn’t go down very well.
The relationship between Tuchel and Lukaku never really recovered from that point and the striker was only a substitute during the League Cup final.
He’s spent the last two seasons out on loan, first at Inter Milan and now Roma. He’s scored 16 goals in 31 games for the latter in 2023-24.

CAM: Christian Pulisic (Timo Werner 74′)

Sometimes a change of scenery is needed to revive the career of a struggling star – and that’s certainly been the case for Pulisic, who hasn’t looked back since signing for AC Milan.
The United States international has hit the ground running in Italy with seven goals and six assists in 23 Serie A appearances of the 2023-24 campaign.

Werner was already a punchline by 2022 after struggling to justify his £48million price tag at Chelsea. Nobody was surprised when the Germany international returned to RB Leipzig that summer.
What was more surprising was that Werner also failed to catch fire back in the Bundesliga – Leipzig were more than happy to loan the forward to Tottenham in January 2024. The striker is yet to score for Spurs.
Pick that one out!
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ST: Kai Havertz

Chelsea fans will always be thankful for that goal against Manchester City, but Havertz never exactly pulled up many trees during his Stamford Bridge stint.
There’s a feeling that Chelsea never managed to find the best role for Havertz during his time at the club and the Blues accepted a £65million offer from Arsenal in the summer of 2023.

An indifferent start to his Gunners career raised eyebrows, but Havertz looks to have settled now he has a defined role in Mikel Arteta’s side and has featured in all but one of their matches.
“I love him,” Arteta said last week. “We all love him, as a player, as a person, for everything that he brings. He is a joy to work with.”
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