Everton Loan Roundup and Analysis (Mid-Season 2019)

Moving on from experienced players that may return to Goodison, we have our youth prospects who have been loaned out to give them valuable first team playing experience. Everton is famed for their strong academy which pumps out talent regularly so getting a loanee from the Blues usually means you’re getting quality, though this isn’t always the case.

Everton currently has eight young players out on loan, with the all but one playing in England.

Mason Holgate (West Bromwich Albion)

The young English defender has just been loaned to West Brom for the remainder of the season, he just made his debut for the club in their 1-0 victory over Wigan in the F.A Cup. Holgate is a player fans will be very familiar with as he has played a respectable amount of games for Everton over the past few years, despite being just 22 years old. He even played a few games at the start of our current campaign before Yerry Mina and Kurt Zouma were fully integrated into the squad.

He is one of Everton’s better youth prospects currently away from the club, he has shown himself to be a reliable defender though he does suffer from lapses in concentration among a few weaknesses currently in his game. This is the purpose of loaning him out, to iron out his deficiencies by giving him regular football and hopefully his time at West Brom will improve him as a player.

Kieran Dowell (Sheffield United)

Another exciting prospect is the 21 year-old Kieran Dowell who was just loaned out to Sheffield United for the remainder of the season. The attacking midfielder was an incredibly important player for Nottingham Forest last season, making thirty-nine appearances and scoring nine goals which included a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over Hull City for which he received a lot of praise.

Dowell really is the full package for a young attacking midfielder. He can play the killing pass, his long shots are dangerous and his dribbling is silky smooth. He is definitely a player that Everton should endeavour to hold onto as he could be a prime candidate to replace Gylfi Sigurðsson as he starts to age. Here’s hoping he lives up to the praise as he starts his brief spell at Sheffield United.

Joe Williams (Bolton Wanderers)

The 22 year-old is mostly played as a defensive midfielder at Bolton, where he has been on loan at since the beginning of the season. Bolton is currently embroiled in a relegation scrap which is unfortunate, but it’s hard to place much blame on the Everton loanee who has been very dependable so far during his time there.

He is a staple of the Bolton side and often displays his capability in both tackling players and intercepting the ball. It’s not been enough to pick up many victories for Bolton but there’s only so much one player can do. Williams is one to watch for sure.

Matthew Pennington (Ipswich Town)

The 24 year-old centre back has been on at Ipswich Town, who currently sit dead last in the Championship, since the start of the season. It’s been an awful team performance so far for Ipswich and Pennington is partially to blame for this, but he’s still the best defender on the team.

He’s prone to making some questionable decisions which is typical of a young player. He’s worse than Holgate who is two years his junior which isn’t good news for his Everton career, he’s a good Championship level defender but he’ll have to step up his game if he wants to be considered for the Everton squad.

Antonee Robinson (Wigan Athletic)

The 21 year-old Antonee Robinson plays as a left back for his loan club, Wigan Athletic. He’s a fine player, reminiscent of a prime Leighton Baines with his fantastic crossing and is maybe even a bit more stylish than Baines with his dribbling ability. He is currently nursing an ankle injury which is keeping him on the sidelines.

He likely has a few more loan spells ahead of him, but it’s definitely possible he’ll get a chance as a backup for Digne once Baines hangs up his boots. He has an exciting future ahead of him and we’re hoping he continues to develop into a great player.

Callum Connolly (Wigan Athletic)

Connolly is another 21 year-old currently on loan at Wigan. He is a versatile player, being able to play all across defence and midfield. He’s been less of a staple in the Wigan side, often coming off the bench rather than starting. This is most likely due to the multiple positions he can play, he is a handy player to have on the bench in case of an injury.

He’s not been fantastic so far but he doesn’t often get a full game so it’s tough to accurately judge. He seems less talented than Everton’s other youth prospects which means he’ll likely be sold off to a Championship club rather than find his way into the first team.

Luke Garbutt (Oxford United)

Luke Garbutt is a 25 year old left back currently on loan at Oxford United, which is a struggling club in League One. Unfortunately, Garbutt is probably finished at Everton. He doesn’t even start for Oxford who needs to win a relegation battle to stop themselves from falling to League Two. When he has played he looks lethargic on the ball, he doesn’t look like the same player he used to be.

It is a regrettable situation for Garbutt, who was once capped at U23 level for England. The best thing Everton can do is sell him on to give him a chance to revive his career.

Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray)

Henry Onyekuru is a 21 year old left winger/striker that joined Everton from Belgian team Eupen for a fee of £7 million in the Summer of 2017. He was immediately loaned to Anderlecht for the 2017/18 season and has been at Galatasaray since the start of this season which means he has never played a game for Everton. He has made fifteen appearances for the Turkish giants, scoring six goals so far. Not a bad tally considering he is usually played deeper in the field rather than up front.

Onyekuru has yet to play a game in a big league but he’s been a decent player for both Anderlecht and Galatasaray so he definitely deserves a shot to impress at Goodison. Despite Everton crying out for a striker right now, Onyekuru still needs more time to develop before he can fill that gap. He’s one to watch.