Loan Tracker: June

Most of the players on this list had already finished their season by the time that June arrived. Those that had not had some big objectives to play for. To keep everyone involved in this article, I am going to be doing a season review style format of adding up all of the monthly stats, and providing some thoughts on the season and the future of each player. I will cap it off by awarding the final star player of the month, before crowning somebody the star loan player of the year. Please do note that the assists tally for each player incorporates forced own goals, and that stats are accumulated via every official competition played in. Enjoy!

The Gold Category

Martin Ødegaard - (Vitesse Arnhem, Eredivisie)

Season Appearances: 39

Season Goals: 11

Season Assists: 13

Star Player of the Month Awards: 3

Martin’s season with Vitesse is over, but he did feature twice for his country during June. He was one of the best players on the pitch, and scored his first senior international goal against Romania in a throw-away 2-2 draw, before playing another full game in a 2-0 win against the Faroe Islands. After being crowned the Vitesse Arnhem player of the season and making the Eredivisie team of the season and swimming in a whole host of other awards, June has been a month full of speculation for the Norwegian. He was spotted both in German and Spanish airports, as meetings with Bayer Leverkusen and Real Sociedad took place. I personally would prefer to see him side with Leverkusen next season as that appears to be a more exciting and wholesome project, and breaking into the Real Madrid squad from such a team is highly likely. However, it would of course be both excellent and beneficial to see him complete a season in La Liga. Whatever happens with Martin, this season has once again been a complete pleasure to watch unfold for him. Real Madrid draws ever closer.

Borja Mayoral - (Levante, La Liga)

Season Appearances: 33

Season Goals: 5

Season Assists: 2

Star Player of the Month Awards: 0

Over 30 top level appearances for Borja Mayoral at Levante this season. His season ended in June, but he is currently on youth International duty for Spain in the 2019 European Under-21 Football Championship. He has scored once against Poland in the competition, one that Spain are favourites to win. His goalscoring tally for his loan club this season has not been so impressive, and has more than likely closed the door for a future Real Madrid return. His ideal summer would be finding a La Liga club that will take him on a permanent basis. He does possess wonderful ability, and with the right club that Real Madrid door may one day be unlocked again. Borja is another player that has been linked with Real Sociedad, and I think that would be a fantastic move for him. A move will be stalled until the end of the youth Euro’s, so it is now time to cheer Borja, Ceballos and Vallejo on for the remainder of the competition.

Aleix Febas - (Albacete, La Liga2)

June Appearances: 3

June Goals: 0

June Assists: 0

Season Appearances: 39

Season Goals: 2

Season Assists: 4

Star Player of the Month Awards: 1

Febas and Tejero were the two players I had my eye on for June. Albacete just missed out on automatic promotion, and chose to rest their players ahead of the play-offs. A successful campaign here, and they would become a La Liga club next season. After being rested for the last game, Febas played the entire game against Mallorca, but they suffered a surprising 2-0 defeat. Febas started the second leg, and it all looked very positive as Albacete took an early lead, however the one goal was all that they could conjure up, and they crashed out of the play-offs on aggregate score. Mallorca ended up getting promoted in the final after a highly dramatic battle against Deportivo, and Albacete were left devastated. I too was personally disappointed, as Albacete in La Liga under Luis Miguel Ramis would not only have been well deserved, but also a potential top level outlet for Real Madrid youngsters next season. For Aleix, I’m sure he will be playing at a higher standard regardless. As his season has only just finished, there has been little time for the rumour mill to churn - but I for one am intrigued to see how his summer will pan out. He finished the season in the LaLiga2 team of the season! A magnificent achievement for a magnificent player.

Álvaro Tejero - (Albacete, La Liga2)

June Appearances: 3

June Goals: 0

June Assists: 1

Season Appearances: 41

Season Goals: 1

Season Assists: 10

Star Player of the Month Awards: 2

After starting the month off right recording an assist against direct promotion rivals Málaga in a 2-1 loss, Álvaro was rested for the last regular season game against Almería (which ended in another 3-0 defeat). The right-back then played every minute of Albacete’s play-off expedition, but it ultimately ended in tears, losing 2-1 on aggregate over two legs to eventual winners Mallorca. Heartbreak for Albacete, but like Febas, Tejero will be playing at a higher level next season anyway. Both La Liga side Eibar and Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen have been linked with the fullback. Double figures in assists is an exceptional return, and although he did not make the LaLiga2 team of the season (he did make the bench!), Tejero has had one of the best campaigns out of anyone else on this list. Álvaro picks up June’s star player award!

EDIT: Not long after this paragraph was typed up, La Liga side Eibar announced that they had signed Tejero on a permanent basis. This is a very good move for him, as he can now test himself at the highest level. A good season with Eibar and he will never look back.

The Silver Category

Raúl de Tomás - (Rayo Vallecano, La Liga)

Season Appearances: 34

Season Goals: 14

Season Assists: 1

Star Player of the Month Awards: 1

Rayo Vallecano may have been relegated from La Liga, but Raúl de Tomás is certain to stay up. The striker had a breakout year in the top flight, and encompassed everything good about the team. The only links that I have seen regarding Raúl come from Portuguese giants Benfica, which I would be disappointed with personally if it happened. The Spaniard is a player who could do the business for just about any team in Spain, so I would prefer to see him stay in his homeland. Another candidate for star loanee of the year.

Óscar Rodríguez - (Leganés, La Liga)

Season Appearances: 32

Season Goals: 4

Season Assists: 4

Star Player of the Month Awards: 1

Óscar surprised me more than anyone else this season in the best way possible. After a mediocre season with Castilla, the midfielder managed to grab a La Liga loan move. There was no doubt that he had the talent needed, but I was certain this move was going to be too much, too soon for him. However he settled immediately and ended up becoming one of the most important players for Leganés. His season highlight must have been scoring the winning goal against Barcelona, but there are plenty of moments that could rival that high. Leganés moved quickly to bring Óscar back for another season in La Liga next year before anyone else could have a sniff. Rodríguez becomes another candidate for loanee of the season!

Andriy Lunin - (Leganés, La Liga)

Season Appearances: 7

Season Clean Sheets: 2

Star Player of the Month Awards: 0

June was the month that Andriy Lunin became a world champion. He was one of the star performers are Ukraine went on to the the Under-20 World Cup! This was cemented when he won the official golden glove. After a quick glance at his club numbers though, you wouldn't be wrong to believe that 2018/19 was a disappointing year for the keeper. Just seven appearances all season would not have met Andriy’s expectations, even if he heavily impressed during most of those. This has created a tasty debate on what should happen to him next season. If Keylor Navas was to leave, he could easily take the number two spot at Real Madrid, but then he is good enough to play consistently at La Liga level. I am personally fascinated to see if he will be the keeper that can finally displace Luca Zidane.

The Bronze Category

Lusimi Quezada - (Córdoba, La Liga2)

Season Apperances: 16

Season Goals: 0

Season Assists: 1

Star Player of the Month Awards: 0

Luismi could have been playing throughout June, but he was not picked for a single match-day squad. His season started well as he became Córdoba’s starting left-back, but it quickly went south. He finished the season with no appearances in over two months after falling out of favour. Córdoba eventually got relegated back to Segunda B. This season has probably killed Quezada’s chances with the the Real Madrid first team, but I do want to see him find a move that suits him in at least LaLiga123.

Sergio Díaz - (Corinthians, Brasileiro Série A)

Season Appearances: 3

Season Goals: 0

Season Assists: 0

Star Player of the Month Awards: 0

The Brazilian season has actually restarted whilst these talent trackers have been running, but that makes little difference for Sergio Díaz. He has played just three times all season, scoring and assisting no goals, and playing very poorly each time. It got worse as he missed a fair chunk of the season through a recurring nasty knee injury. This has been the same story for almost three years, since that fateful day he was pushed onto the wing for Castilla. Corinthians were so unimpressed, that in this month they terminated the loan spell early, and Sergio returned to Madrid. He is currently training with his first club, Cerro Porteño back in Paraguay, with a view to moving back very soon. His Real Madrid chances have been dead and buried for a while now, and if he does not rejoin Castilla next season - then the least the club can do is release him and allow him to return home in a final attempt to rebuild free of charge.

Achraf Hakimi - (Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga)

Season Appearances: 28

Season Goals: 3

Season Assists: 7

Star Player of the Month Awards: 1

Another star player candidate. Achraf may have missed the final months of the season due to an injury, but he was in stellar form for most of the campaign. He played superbly on both the right and left as Dortmund took a huge early lead in the Bundesliga table as well as the Champions League group stage. A hat-trick of assists against Atlético Madrid gained some much deserved attention. This standout season will surely be giving Real Madrid headaches on who to choose at fullback over the next few years, but for next season; Achraf will continue at Dortmund. He is currently back playing on international duty with Morocco, featuring in games against Argentina, Zambia and Gambia. He is also in the Morocco squad for this summers African cup of Nations. The large amount of minutes he’s going to play this summer should hopefully allow him to stroll into the new campaign as good as new.

The White Category

Pablo Margallo - (Unión Adarve, Segunda División B)

Season Appearances: 6

Season Goals: 0

Season Assists: 0

Star Player of the Month Awards: 0

This whole move has confused me. Six appearances at Segunda B level does not equate to the level required to represent Real Madrid. His record at an amateur club in the youth team was admirable, but I’m still not sure why he was bought. What will happen next season? Will the club look to offload, or will they try and loan him out again? If so, do they risk him playing minimal minutes in Segunda B again or do they seek out a team in an even lower division?

Lin Liangming - (Almería (B), La Liga2/Segunda División B)

Appearances: 31

Goals: 4

Assists: 4

Star Player of the Month Awards: 0

Lin’s total appearances are mixed between the Almería first team and the B team. He managed to make multiple first team appearances, and even gained an assist against Málaga in the cup. He started really strongly, collecting most of his statistics within the first two months of the season. Exploits with the Chinese youth national teams (bizarrely managed by the likes of Guus Hiddink), meant that he missed chunks of the season here and there, but he made good progress whilst away. Next season he will be looking to play at a higher standard. Whether Almería look to purchase and promote him, or he has to seek out another team is uncertain, but it has been fun following his progress this season.

In terms of team success it has actually been quite a depressing season for Madrid’s loanees. Failed promotion efforts, league titles slipped, relegation’s and European spots lost. Individually however, many of these youngsters have completed amazing campaigns. Countless team of the week’s have been cracked, individual awards have been flying lef right and centre, and two players made their respective team of the season’s for their leagues. Six players make up the race to star loanee of the season, with Álvaro Tejero picking up the final star loanee of the month award for June. It was hard to determine a sole individual to brand the best, but the incredible form, individual awards, team efforts and progression of Martin Ødegaard was enough to win him the title. Following these players has been one of my favourite parts of the season, and I hope you have enjoyed the series as much as I have. I plan on continuing the series for next season, so be sure to follow my Twitter to learn about next season’s fresh crop of loanees.

Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

June Star Player: Alvaro Tejero.

Season Star Player: Martin Ødegaard.