Premier League Transfers: Top 8 EPL Loan Deals

Here are the eight best English Premier League loan deals. The one prerequisite is that the loanee has to join a Premier League club.

A loan move is not only inexpensive and low-risk, but can change the fortunes of a club. Nicolas Anelka left such an impression during his loan spell at Anfield that he was voted into Liverpool's 100 Players Who Shook The Kop.

Last season, then-Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers signed Hoffenheim midfielder Gylfi Sigurðsson on loan and the Icelandic international was so good that he earned a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

8. Sascha Riether, Utility Player, Age: 29

From Köln to Fulham On Loan

Sascha Riether qualifies as a "jack of all trades, master of none"-type player. He can competently play at right-back, right wing, defensive midfield and centre midfield.

During Wolfsburg’s Bundesliga triumph, of the players who participated in 25-plus games, kicker rated Riether as the team’s 10th-best player.

He’s purely a role player and will be a solid pro under Martin Jol.

7. Javier Garrido, Left-Back, Age: 27

From Lazio to Norwich City On Loan

Javier Garrido is a diligent defender whose set-piece proficiency is often underused.

In his first season for Lazio, Achilles tendon problems wiped away his chances of challenging Ștefan Radu for the left-back position.

When Garrido did play, he lost the confidence of his teammates in a forgettable 2-1 loss to Udinese, where he was exposed by Mauricio Isla’s direct running.

The second season was a similar story for Garrido, as he hardly featured in Lazio’s starting XI. When he was forced off the field having only played 20 minutes against Atalanta, it summed up his career at Lazio.

Even if Garrido isn’t the old Garrido, he’s still an upgrade over Marc Tierney.

6. Fábio, Left-Back, Age: 22

From Manchester United to Queens Park Rangers On Loan

Fábio is like an energizer bunny because he’s constantly applying pressure to opposing players.

It’s imperative for Fábio to perform on loan at QPR, especially after Manchester United signed the Eredivisie’s best left-back in Alexander Büttner.

The Brazilian was horrendous against Swansea City. Yes, he did make five tackles, but he conceded four free kicks and was consistently caught out of position. Whilst he looked decent going forward, he was a liability at the back like the rest of his teammates.

5. Jonathan De Guzmán, Attacking Midfielder, Age: 24

From Villarreal to Swansea City On Loan

Jonathan de Guzmán’s last standout game was under Michael Laudrup at Mallorca. De Guzmán kept his cool from 12 yards out and provided an assist to Pierre Webó in a memorable 4-3 loss to Atlético Madrid.

De Guzmán’s decision to move to Villarreal wasn’t a bright one because he was always going to have to play behind Bruno, Marcos Senna and Borja Valero.

De Guzmán’s overambitious long passes have seen him profit with spectacular assists, but they’ve also led to him being subbed off several times. 

In some games, his set pieces are more accurate than his standing passes, which gives you an indication of how dangerous he is from a dead-ball situation.

4. Ryo Miyaichi, Left-Winger, Age: 19

From Arsenal to Wigan Athletic On Loan

During Ryo Miyaichi’s loan stint at Bolton Wanderers, he torched the clueless Armand Traoré.

When Ryo was on loan at Feyenoord, he humiliated Giovanni Gravenbeek in a 6-1 win over Willem II.

These are just glimpses of the danger Ryo poses to full-backs.

Imagine how fast he would be if he didn’t suffer a horrific leg break during trials with Ajax.

3. Romelu Lukaku, Centre-Forward, Age: 19

From Chelsea to West Bromwich Albion On Loan

Chelsea have loaned Romelu Lukaku out to West Brom to see if the Belgian can force his way into Steve Clarke’s starting XI.

All the frustration, the pain and the sadness Lukaku experienced should give him motivation to prove his doubters wrong.

The Belgian forward looked assertive in a cameo against Liverpool, where he scored and should have had an assist.

2. Ricardo Carvalho, Centre-Back, Age: 34

From Real Madrid to Queens Park Rangers On Loan

Clint Hill is barely Premier League-standard and his centre-back partner Anton Ferdinand is mediocre at best.

Mark Hughes has pulled off a coup by signing the experienced Ricardo Carvalho, who’ll add much-needed quality to QPR’s defence.  

Pepe and Sergio Ramos are better centre-backs than Carvalho. With the rise of Raphaël Varane, Carvalho may not have even been the backup.

Carvalho was a key member in José Mourinho’s UEFA Champions League triumph at Porto and a pivotal piece to Chelsea becoming relevant.

Mourinho’s decision to end Carvalho’s career at Real Madrid indicates how pragmatic the Special One is—there certainly is no room for sentiment.

1. Nuri Şahin, Deep-Lying Playmaker, Age: 23

From Real Madrid to Arsenal On Loan

Nuri Şahin’s last moment as a Borussia Dortmund player was coming to the sickening realisation that he partially tore ligaments in his right knee.

Having completed gruelling rehab on his right knee, the beginning of his Real Madrid career was further delayed by an injury to his left knee. A few niggling injuries here and there left him behind the eight-ball from a tactical perspective, which is the only valid reason why José Mourinho never gave Şahin a fair go.

Even when the Turk played well against Sporting Gijón and Granada, he was still harshly subbed off by Mourinho.

Against Gijón, Şahin hit the crossbar, pressed hard and was a creative outlet in midfield. Against Granada, Şahin completed 88 percent of his passes, won the ball back five times and orchestrated Real’s midfield in the first half.

Şahin oozed of class in games against APOEL, Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb.

If Arsène Wenger can coax Real’s management into inserting a £12-15 million buyout clause, then Arsenal will be short-changing Real like they short-changed Borussia Dortmund. Mind you, Dortmund screwed themselves over by including a €6 million buyout clause in Şahin’s contract.

Signing Şahin would leave question marks over one of the Gunners’ most consistent players in recent times—Mikel Arteta. Şahin’s defensive ability is just as good as Arteta and the Turk is a better deep-lying playmaker.

Yann M'Vila and Étienne Capoue are obvious transfer targets to fill one of the two pivots. The cheaper option is for Wenger to give Francis Coquelin, who is a dominant ball-winner, a chance in midfield.

Author edit: Şahin's loan move to Arsenal collapsed, which allowed Liverpool to sign the Turkish international on loan.

Please read South Korea 2002 World Cup Retrospective

 Follow @allanjiangLIVE

Connect with +allanjiang

Statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com