Another week in the books, and another loan roundup for you all. In a bit odd an odd twist it was an exceptional week for the Chelsea attackers out on loan while the defenders didn't have much to write home about. The keepers, well they were somewhere in the middle.
- Josh McEachran - We have nothing to write about for Josh as Swansea are already eliminated from the FA Cup. Hopefully the extra training time has allowed McEachran to develop more of a repoire with his temporary club.
- Gael Kakuta - We already showed you the highlights from the weekend (here), and that's two solid showings in a row from Gael. Dijon were beaten in a cup tie by PSG midweek, a game in which Kakuta did not get off the bench for. Dijon seemed happy to play for a 0-0 draw in that one, something not especially well suited to Kakuta's strengths. Had it not been for a howler by the keeper they'd have likely succeeded. On the weekend Kakuta was exceptional, having arguably his second MotM performance in as many starts. While he still seems to look for the killer ball at every opportunity, his understanding with his teammates is getting noticeably better. Dijon is quickly becoming must see TV.
- Kevin De Bruyne - Not to be outdone by Kakuta, De Bruyne put in a stunning display of his own. He was easily the best player on the pitch as Genk defeated Mons by a 2-1 scoreline, scoring one and assisting the other. After he called out his teammates for their poor play lately in the media it's good to see De Bruyne stepping up to the plate and having a game that shows exactly why Chelsea were after him.
Jeffrey Bruma - Bruma again had the weekend off as he is still suffering from a hamstring strain. I haven't seen anything to indicate how much longer he'll be out, but hopefully he gets healthy soon.
Milan Lalkovic - Lalkovic finally made his debut for ADO Den Haag, and it was generally looked at very positively. Lalkovic was generally a nuisance making runs from the left, something those who have seen him with the reserves should be fully accustomed to by this point. I'm not sure what his role going forward will be, but at least he's looking good in the Dutch top flight when he gets on.
Kenneth Omeruo - There was apparently some sort of holdup with Omeruo's work permit, so nothing to see on this front. I guess that's one of the headaches with buying non-EU youngsters.
Tomas Kalas - Kalas probably had his worst game since joining Vitesse this weekend, being completely at fault for one of the four Twente goals to find the back of the net. His passing was solid enough, but the 18 year old often looked confused by the runs being made behind him.
Patrick van Aanholt - PvA was better than Kalas, but not by an awful lot. His defending was generally passable, but he wasn't linking up well with his teammates in attack. He was subbed off just prior to the third Twente goal, hopefully he still starts their next contest.
Ulises Davila - Davila had a very strong showing for the Vitesse reserves midweek and was rewarded with a place on the bench for the weekend. He didn't get subbed in, but it was nice to see him again anyway.
Matej Delac - Bad news for Delac, as his temporary club has just signed a new keeper who they immediately proclaimed the number one. After a string of decent friendlies this came as a bit of a surprise, but it's hard to fault a club for going after a permanent solution when one presented itself rather than relying on a loanee. This may well be the death blow for Delac's chances at Chelsea...it may be for the best for the youngster to seek a new permanent home this summer.
Sam Walker - Walker had a pair of starts for Yeovil, winning both while conceding twice in each. There was probably nothing he could have done to prevent any of the goals, but he did look pretty shaky in dealing with corners and set pieces. I suppose that's what you'd expect from a young keeper though, so hopefully he's learning.
Thibaut Courtois - Courtois got his scoreless streak up to 500 minutes before Gijon finally broke through fo a goal in the 1-1 draw. Hard to fault Courtois for the goal, and the big Belgian did an excellent job with crosses and set pieces. All in all it was another very impressive display from Courtois.
Rhys Taylor - Taylor also had a pair of contests this week, keeping a clean sheet in the victory against Accrington before drawing 1-1 with Buton Albion. I didn't get to see either of these games, but by all reports he was excellent in both.
Ben Gordon - Gordon had himself a fantastic game as Killie defeated Rangers 1-0. His defending was excellent and he seemingly made all the correct decisions in attack. While he's out of the spotlight a bit in Scotland, he was certainly one of our best loanees this weekend.
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