FM 16 Loans: Premier League On-Loan XI

When you start up any game save, you’ll find that there are 142 loans in the Premier League across all 20 clubs (I know, because I’ve just counted them all). Of those 142 players currently earning their crust away from their parent club, a shade over 20% of all loanees in the Premier League come from Chelsea, who have 31 players out on loan at the start of every game save. So if we took Chelsea out the picture, the average number of players loaned out by each club is just 5 players, but with them, that average boosts to 7 players loaned out per Premier League team. Basically, there is an absurd level of FM-ready talent that has been farmed off for the 2015/16 season. However, come 2016/17, those players could all be available in some capacity, so we’ve picked out a starting XI of the best on-loan players in the Premier League for you to keep an eye out for after you complete your first season.

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Goalkeeper – Wojciech Szczesny

The on-loan Arsenal keeper is currently biding his time at Roma, dreaming of a return to the Emirates. But with Petr Cech and David Ospina firmly ahead of him, expect to sign Szczensy on the cheap in the 2016/17 season.

Right Back – DeAndre Yedlin

Yedlin has 4-star potential on FM16, which means at his prime, he can be as good as the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta or Leighton Baines. He’s also likely to come on the cheap, as Tottenham have Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker in the pecking order ahead of him, so if you’re ready to gamble, Yedlin could be one of the best value for money players you come across.

Centre Back – Tiago Ilori

Ilori has hardly featured in English football, and we can’t work out why. At the start of FM16 Ilori is already rated at 3-and-a-half stars, which is good enough for any struggling side in need of a new centre back come 2016/17.

Centre Back – Nathaniel Chalobah

Don’t be put off by Chalobah’s somewhat misleading FM rating, as they aren’t always 100% correct. Currently on loan at Napoli, I can imagine it being hard to sign him permanently on the cheap, but a loan signing here certainly looks feasible here for Chalobah, who can also double up as a holding midfielder. And a good one at that.

Left Back – Luke Garbutt

Luke who? Garbutt. With two t’s. He is the heir-in-waiting to Leighton Baines as Everton’s left back of the future, and is currently on loan at Fulham right now, and should be ready for experience at a Premier League club by the time 2016/17 comes around.

Right Midfielder – Lazar Markovic

Markovic’s time in England hasn’t gone to plan thus far. He arrived as one of Europe’s brightest prospects, but now finds himself at Fenerbahce on loan. Should whoever’s in charge of Liverpool deem him unworthy of first team action, a loan move here looks do-able. If however he does become a first team player at Liverpool, Remy Cabella (Newcastle) or Victor Moses (Chelsea) are also options here.

Centre Midfielder – Mario Pasalic

Pasalic is currently setting Ligue 1 alight, shining bright in a vastly under-performing Monaco side. However, with 4 goals to his name after 11 appearances from midfield, it could be his last season out on loan from Chelsea.

Centre Midfielder – Adnan Januzaj

Januzaj is an interesting prospect here, as he’s good enough to become a regular fixture in Man Utd’s team, but LVG seems to think otherwise. If he does well at Dortmund this year, he will certainly be a first team player at some top side next year, but if not, he could very well be your next bargain on FM16. I realise Januzaj could be off the market by 2016/17, so if not him, go for Marco Van Ginkel of Chelsea, currently on loan at Stoke.

Left Midfielder – Juan Cuadrado

Cuadrado has gone from being one of the best players to sign on FM15 to being an afterthought on FM16. Currently enjoying a loan spell at Juventus, Cuadrado is arguably the best player on this list. If you can only sign one of these players, go for the Colombian, as he is as FM ready as they come. By FM ready I mean he will chip in a truck load of goals and assists if given the chance.

Striker – Mario Balotelli

Who else but Mr Mario? Of any player in world football, Balotelli is one of the most talented, if not the very best player currently playing away from his parent club. But talent has never been an issue, and lucky for you, FM doesn’t account for turbulent personalities as much as it does actual ability. What that means is like on FM15, where Balotelli was an absolute beast, he will probably still be more than worth your time in the 2016/17 season.

Striker – Steven Jovetic Patrick Bamford

Jovetic has loved every minute of his return to Serie A , scoring 6 goals in 8 games for Inter, but moved to Inter on an 18-month loan deal, and also has a release clause in place which means Inter can sign for a measly £8.25m. So he’s pretty much a non-target sadly. If you can get Jovetic eventually, do it. If not, Bamford is your wildcard option here. Currently on loan at Crystal Palace, and not seeing much game time, Bamford is crying out for a team to offer him regular first team football in the Premier League. The question is – are you that guy?!