This summer Premier League clubs loaned out 131 players, the majority of them youngsters seeking to gain valuable experience elsewhere.
From that multitude, these five are most likely to make it to the top.
5 - Charlie Patino (Arsenal to Swansea)
Labelled the next-big-thing from a very young age, the recently capped England Under 21 international accelerated the hype with a debut goal for the Gunners, coming off the bench late-on in a Carabao Cup quarter-final in 2021.
A season-long stint at Blackpool followed and after sparkling in the Championship the teenager must have believed he would be integrated into Mikel Arteta’s squad this term, picking up minutes here and there.
Instead, a contract dispute almost resulted in Arsenal selling their prized prodigy, that was until Swansea swooped with an attractive loan offer.
A perfect fit with the Swans’ passing game, Patino will shine once again in the second tier. Whether his future rests at the Emirates or elsewhere is up for debate. But it absolutely resides in the top-flight.
4 - Callum Doyle (Man City to Leicester)
In recent years, Manchester City have turned their enviable academy into a profitable enterprise, selling off their brilliant youth secure in the knowledge that the age level below will produce another crop of exciting talents.
It is telling therefore that they refused any straight cash offers for their 19-year-old centre-back - several of which were made - and this in the summer when they sold so many of their prospects, including Cole Palmer to Chelsea and the extravagantly gifted Carlos Borges to Ajax.
Already a regular feature at the back as the Foxes embark on a promotion-chasing campaign, Doyle will return a more rounded, battle-hardened defender and though he has an onerous task in dislodging the likes of Stones and Dias, many at the club think he can, and will, in time.
3 - Marquinhos (Arsenal to Nantes)
The Gunners have done very well out of loaning players to Ligue 1 in recent times, immediately returning William Saliba to Saint-Etienne to good effect, then lending Folarin Balogun to Reims for a highly prolific year.
The former is now an integral part of Arteta’s plans as they attempt to justify their short price in the Premier League betting. The latter made the club a decent profit, moving to Monaco for €40m in late August.
They will hope for a similar narrative with Marquinhos who showed flashes of real quality in the cups for Arsenal last season after signing from Sao Paulo for a cheap-as-chips £3m.
Still somewhat erratic however, the teen was never going to trouble Martinelli, Saka or Trossard for a starting spot. If he returns closer to the finished article, what a player he can be.
2 - Andrey Santos (Chelsea to Nottingham Forest)
The 19-year-old is the only player on this list to remain in the Premier League, despite being loaned out, and perhaps that is testimony to Santos’ levels, the Brazilian wonderkid hugely rated by all who have seen him.
Signed for £13m from Vasco da Gama last January, a month later he was captaining Brazil Under 20s to a South American Championship, ending the tournament as the leading goal-scorer despite being deployed deep in midfield.
Some eye-catching displays pre-season had many Chelsea fans believing he was set to break through at Stamford Bridge this term but that eventuality will now occur at the City Ground for reasons that baffle. The kid’s a bit special.
1 - Fabio Carvalho (Liverpool to RB Leipzig)
One of the most failsafe Premier League predictions is that the Portuguese winger is going to take English football by storm. It’s just a matter of when.
Many thought that time was last year when Carvalho impressed right from the off after joining from Fulham. He scored against Bournemouth after coming off the bench in only his fourth outing for the Reds. Four days later, he notched a 98th minute winner to down Newcastle.
Perhaps though the learning curve from Craven Cottage to Anfield was steeper than some anticipated and the 21-year-old plateaued thereafter.
A season in the Bundesliga is the perfect opportunity to get the hype-train back on track and even if game-time has been scant to date, Carvalho has all the attributes to dazzle on the continent. It’s just a matter of when.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
