Loan Tracker: May

For many of these players, May was the final month of the season. Their times on loan have pushed some of them into first team contention, whilst others may have tarnished their Real Madrid chances. Some still have a tough month of games ahead to finalise their place in the promotion or relegation places. How did the players that have finished fare during may, and what might happen to them this summer? Let’s take a look:

The Gold Category

Martin Ødegaard - (Vitesse Arnhem, Eredivisie)

Appearances: 6

Goals: 3

Assists: 4

Martin saved some of his best performances until last, although there will be a sour taste left with May. It started off brilliantly, as Martin bagged a goal and an assist in the 6-1 destruction of De Graafschap at home. He was brought off in that game so that he could recieve a standing ovation just in case it was to be his last home for Vitesse. The 3-1 win against VVV Venlo the next week ensured that this wouldn’t be the case, and Martin again recorded a goal and an assist as Vitesse finished the season in a strong fifth place. The big three as expected took those top three spots, and the only thing Vitesse should have been disappointed with is the fact that they didn’t challenge AZ Alkmaar for fourth enough. Still, they where in the play-offs for a place in the Europa League - and Groningen were going to be their first opponent over a two legged tie. Martin was very muted in the first game, and it appeared that his play-off curse would follow him to Holland as his team lost 2-1. That was until the second game, where he had perhaps his best game of the season! In front of the home crowd, Martin scored one and assisted two within half an hour to turn the tie on it’s head, and send Vitesse through to the final round with a 3-1 win. They would face Utrecht in the final over two legs again, and whilst Martin was alright in the 1-1 draw during the first leg, the curse caught up with him in his last game and Vitesse succumbed to a 2-0 defeat. Off of the pitch, the awards kept flying in. Martin won the young player of the month for May and made numerous team of the weeks. Most importantly, he was listed in the Eredevisie team of the season alongside the likes of Frenkie De Jong and Matthijs De Ligt. His time at Vitesse is now over, and he is currently with the Norwegian national team ahead of games against Romania and the Faroe Islands. There have been multiple rumours ahead of next season regarding Martin’s next destination. Selfishness has taken over my judgement, and I want to see Martin at Real Madrid next season. There are however a couple of adequate loan rumours that I would also find both necessary and satisfactory. This months star player is once again: Martin Ødegaard.

Borja Mayoral - (Levante, La Liga)

Appearances: 2

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

No statistics at all to add for Borja for May. He did start two of the three games, and his team won both of them scoring six goals in the process. He however could not contribute with any numbers at least. He was then benched for the last game of the season against Atlético Madrid. There is some good news as he has been called into the Spanish under-21 squad for the European championships. This will be his last involvement with the youth teams, so he will have to make it count.

Aleix Febas - (Albacete, La Liga2)

Appearances: 4

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

One of the few players on this list to still be playing for at least another month, and there is so much to play for. Aleix once again challenged for the star player of the month with his performances in midfield. May was a mixed month for Albacete, as they made the play-offs, but look to have lost the chance at automatic promotion to La Liga. Aleix started all of the games in May as his team beat Rayo Majadahonda and Sporting Gijón 3-2 and 2-0 respectively. The 0-0 draw against Numancia made things hard, but the real damage came during the 1-0 defeat to direct automatic promotion rivals Granada. Albacete and Aleix Febas now have two games left to hope for a miracle, otherwise their season will be even longer and they will find themselves in a play-off battle.

Álvaro Tejero - (Albacete, La Liga2)

Appearances: 4

Goals: 0

Assists: 1

The La Liga ready Álvaro Tejero played every single minute during May. He earned yet another assist against Rayo Majadahonda in a 3-2 win, taking his tally up to nine for the season. He is most likely going to play a big role in the final two to six games that could see Albacete promoted to La Liga. Another player to challenge Martin Ødegaard for the star player of the month award, and one of the favourites to pick it up this month.

The Silver Category

Raúl de Tomás - (Rayo Vallecano, La Liga)

Appearances: 3

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Another player to end their season in May. Raúl de Tomás played every minute for Rayo Vallecano, but as they were already going to get relegated - the games were uninspired to say the least. This will have contributed to Raúl picking up no extra numbers throughout the whole of the month. He will certainly be sticking around the top league from next season, but where might he end up?

Óscar Rodríguez - (Leganés, La Liga)

Appearances: 3

Goals: 1

Assists: 0

An excellent end to the season for Óscar Rodríguez. He started the month off right, scoring against Sevilla in a strong 3-0 which highlighted the level he has risen to. He was in the line-up for the final two games of the season, but both were defeats against Espanyol and Huesca. One of the players to progress the most on this list, Leganés announced that Óscar would be spending next season on loan with them again. Whilst it is a shame that we won’t see Óscar crack on and seek out a bigger team to break into, he will be a sure starter at Leganés and can safely continue his upwards trajectory at the top level. Yet another quality top level player to come out of the Real Madrid academy.

Andriy Lunin - (Leganés, La Liga)

Appearances: 0

Clean Sheets: 0

One person who certainly won’t want to think about Leganés ever again is Andriy Lunin. This was actually probably the best month of Andriy’s season there, as he started the final two games against Espanyol and Huesca. Both however ended in defeat. He was then called into the Ukraine under-20 squad for their world cup campaign and has impressed fans with his performances, saving a penalty against Nigeria. Real Madrid should heavily consider what happens with this hugely talented keeper next season. Zinedine Zidane may be faced with the ultimate choice: a good goalkeeper, or his own son. We’ve seen how that’s worked out before...

The Bronze Category

Lusimi Quezada - (Córdoba, La Liga2)

Apperances: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Abort mission. Córdoba are relegated, and it looks unlikely that Quezada will play for them again. A once promising move has gone horribly wrong, and now Luismi is faced with the challenge of attempting to keep his second division status alive this summer by finding a new club. I think it’s safe to say his time at Real Madrid is over.

Sergio Díaz - (Corinthians, Brasileiro Série A)

Appearances: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

We can all but say the same for this man, as well. Another month of blanks for Sergio, as his career dives further south. There have been some strong rumours linking him with a return home, which would be a good move for him. If this happens, then Cerro Porteño will be absolutely mesmerised at whats happened to their golden boy, and I doubt they would want to be dealing with Real Madrid again. I still think he should play for Castilla next season.

Achraf Hakimi - (Borussia Dortmund, Bundesliga)

Appearances: 0

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Of course no appearances for the injured Achraf during May, but he will be extra frustrated that he will also be receiving no medals. Dortmund lost the title race to Bayern, but it looks unlikely that they’ll lose Hakimi next season. Another one of the best breakouts on this list; a second season at Dortmund would never be a bad idea.

The White Category

Pablo Margallo - (Unión Adarve, Segunda División B)

Appearances: 1

Goals: 0

Assists: 0

Pablo managed to make one final appearance for Adarve in May featuring for 20 odd minutes against play-off side Ponferradina. In reality this isn’t enough, and he has had one of the worst loan spells out of anyone on the list. He will be very fortunate to be considered by Castilla for a squad place next season.

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

Appearances: 3

Goals:

Assists: 0

Three final appearances for Lin, who will surely be playing higher than the third division next season. His Almería B side got actually got relegated from Segunda B, but Lin was one of the star players for the team. His Almería senior team and national team exploits have been the highlight of his season. It will be interesting to see if Lin gets bought by Almería and promoted to the first team next season, or if he will have to seek a higher standard elsewhere.

Relegation for some, title and play-off losses for others. Whilst individually there have been some exceptional seasons, it all looks quite grey when looking at how each team fared. I suppose it’s all down to Albacete to instil some happiness into this list. Febas, Tejero, and all of the other LaLiga2 boys will be playing throughout June, and I will be making one last loan tracker in which I will combine all of the statistics from each player and offer a season verdict. Who has been your favourite player out on loan this season?

Star Player: Martin Ødegaard.