Liverpool Loan Watch: September 2019

Welcome to the second part of my series of monthly articles; tracking the progress of Liverpool’s loanees for the 2019/20 season. This is an ongoing series which will hopefully help keep fans up to date on how our players are getting on at their temporary homes. The club has fourteen players on loan, and this series will follow their campaigns closely, and assess which of the loaned players are likely to have a future at Anfield. This series was something I enjoyed writing last season, and hopefully we will see players have similar successes to those that were out on loan last season.

If you didn’t catch my August piece, you can find it here: http://fanscorners.com/liverpool-loan-watch-august-2019/

Let’s see how they got on in September…

Marko Grujic – Hertha Berlin

It was a good personal start for Grujic in September, scoring the equalising goal in Hertha Berlin’s fixture away at Mainz, a header in the 84^th minute to draw the game level. Grujic was Hertha’s highest rated player in the game, though it ended in disappointment for the Serb when a few minutes after his equaliser, Mainz grabbed a winning goal. Hertha recorded an important win over Paderborn by a score of 2-1, with Grujic having a good game and dominating the midfield. Hertha finished the game with a terrific 4-0 win away at FC Koln, though for once Grujic was not one of the team’s top performers. The Serbian put in a respectable shift in midfield, though it was former Celtic centre-back Dedryck Boyata claiming the plaudits.

Liam Millar – Kilmarnock

Liam Millar opened his account for the season, latching onto an unbelievable cross-field pass from Stephen O’Donnell before slotting into the opposite corner. This goal set Killie on their way to an impressive 2-0 win over Hibernian, with Millar doing 88 minutes. He started again at Parkhead, and though his side lost 3-1 to Neil Lennon’s defending champions, he lasted 77 minutes and showed some positive play as Killie held Celtic at 1-1 for large periods. There was cup heartbreak for Millar as Killie were defeated in the quarter-final of the League Cup by Hibernian on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Millar was on the bench but came on to score a penalty in the shootout, though his efforts were in vain. Penalties were to be the bane of Killie’s day once again as newly-promoted Ross County held Angelo Alessio’s side to a 0-0 draw at Rugby Park. Millar started up front and did well, hitting the post with a chance and winning a second-half penalty, which Osman Sow missed.

Nathaniel Phillips – VFB Stuttgart

It was a very good start to September for Phillips, with his side beating Bochum 2-1 and moving into 2^nd place in Bundesliga II, the defender playing 90 minutes at centre-back. He was surprisingly left out of the side for the trip to Regensburg, though his team did win 3-2. Stuttgart took the lead of the Bundesliga 2 table with a 2-0 win over Greuter Furth, though Phillips was an unused substitute. He remained an unused sub as his side defeated Arminia Bielefeld 1-0 away from home with an injury-time winner.

Ovie Ejaria – Reading

Reading started September with a disappointing 1-0 loss away at Middlesbrough, with Ovie Ejaria having very little impact on the game and struggling to break down the Boro back line. It was three losses in a row for Reading when they went down 2-1 at home to Blackburn, with Ejaria starting again but struggling to find any midfield balance with fellow creator John Swift. A trip to Wolves proved to be the end of Reading’s Carabao Cup run, Nuno defeating his compatriot Jose Gomes on penalties to reach the fourth round. Ejaria came off the bench and put in a few good challenges and nearly won the game in added time. A late goal from the former Barnsley right-back Andy Yiadom saved Reading a point away at 2^nd-placed Swansea City. Ejaria was again in the heart of midfield and did okay, though found it difficult to find space under constant pressure from Steve Cooper’s side.

Sheyi Ojo – Rangers

It was a tough start to the month for Ojo, who was left on the bench for Rangers’ derby fixture at home to Celtic, as were Alfredo Morelos, Borna Barisic and Jordan Jones. He was brought on for Glen Kamara at half time with the Gers 1-0 down. Ojo struggled to have any impact on the game at all and gave the ball away a number of times, his side eventually succumbing to a 2-0 loss. He was back in the starting eleven for the visit of Livingston and played the full 90 as his side came from 1-0 down to 3-1 winners, though Ojo’s performance was limited at best, struggling to find space and being too predictable. The winger restored some faith with a good performance in Rangers’ opening Europa League group game against Feyenoord, scoring the winner with a thumping finish from the edge of the box, and offered a threat all night down the flank, whilst also tracking back to aid Borna Barisic. He retained his starting berth for the away fixture at St Johnstone, which the Gers won 4-0. Ojo did reasonably well and had a few strikes which came close, before being taken off late on. Rangers booked a date with Hearts in the League Cup semi-final with a 1-0 victory at Livingston, with Ojo starting and cutting a frustrated figure on the left, having a pair of efforts on goal well saved. Aberdeen were a real foe of Rangers last season, but Steven Gerrard’s team continued their excellent run with a thumping 5-0 home win over the Dons. Ojo started again on the left flank, and looked comfortable when he had the ball, though was unable to shine, with Alfredo Morelos, Borna Barisic, Greg Stewart and Steven Davis taking the limelight as the Gers cut Celtic’s lead at the top of the table to just a single point. The winger was subbed off after 59 minutes for Jermain Defoe, who came on and scored the fifth. It hasn’t been a bad month for Ojo, but there is a clear theme of him failing to have a telling impact on the matches.

Ben Woodburn – Oxford United

Woodburn was left out of the team for their EFL trophy victory over Norwich U21s. Oxford were defeated 2-1 by Fleetwood Town, a game that Woodburn missed while on international duty with Wales. He returned for the following League One fixture, Tranmere at home. It was a comfortable win for Karl Robinson’s side, defeating Rovers 3-0, with Woodburn playing 74 minutes before being replaced by Shandon Baptiste. Surprisingly, Oxford were held to a 0-0 draw by struggling Bolton, with Woodburn once again starting but struggling to have a telling impact. Lincoln away was next for Oxford, and the U’s pulled off an unbelievable 6-0 win. Woodburn played a telling ball for the second goal, getting a glorious assist for Tarique Fosu. Woodburn worked hard and was unlucky not to have a goal of his own. Woodburn was rested and remained an unused sub as Oxford produced a sensational 4-0 win over Premier League West Ham in the third round of the Carabao Cup, getting a home tie against fellow third-tier side Sunderland in round four. The U’s continued their wonderful scoring form with a 3-0 home victory over Gillingham. This was probably Woodburn’s best display in a yellow shirt so far, looking classy on the ball and dictating play in the final third, while putting in a good defensive shift. September has been a good month for Woodburn, who looks to be improving with every game at the Kassam Stadium.

Harry Wilson – Bournemouth

Bournemouth made a tremendous start to the month, defeating Marco Silva’s Everton 3-1 at home. Wilson started but was largely quiet and had little to no influence on the match. Wilson registered his third goal in a Bournemouth shirt with a lovely tucked finish from the centre of the box in his side’s superb 3-1 away win at rivals Southampton. The Welshman was quiet overall but it was good for him to pop up in a dangerous area and score a close-range goal. Bournemouth’s League Cup bid was ended with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Burton Albion. Wilson was brought on at half time but couldn’t drag his side back into the contest, despite a few shots. The game was marred by a comical incident involving the floodlights, which malfunctioned three times during the match, resulting in 28 minutes of injury time – though the Cherries still couldn’t save themselves. Wilson started Bournemouth’s entertaining 2-2 draw with West Ham, being positioned on the right flank in a 4-4-2, linking up nicely with new signing Jack Stacey. Again, he had a solid game and showed some bright flashes but was unable to make himself a key player in the match and was eventually subbed off. Interestingly the Welshman is still yet to complete 90 minutes for Bournemouth.

Kamil Grabara – Huddersfield Town

September has been a month of change for Huddersfield Town, with the excellent Danny Cowley leaving Lincoln City to take over at Huddersfield. Cowley kept faith with Grabara and started him in his first game in charge, at home to Sheffield Wednesday, who themselves were under new management, with former Swansea, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Birmingham boss Garry Monk taking charge. It was not a good start for Cowley though, with a terrific away performance from Wednesday earning them a 2-0 win courtesy of headers from Steven Fletcher and Sam Winnall. Grabara wasn’t at fault for either goal and made a good save from Adam Reach in the second half. West Brom were the next side to inflict defeat on struggling Huddersfield, by a score of 4-2. While the Pole couldn’t do much about the Baggies’ goals, he was a little lucky that Matt Phillips’ cross hit the post rather than floating in after he completely misread it. Grabara’s wait for his first clean sheet in a Huddersfield shirt continued as his side drew 1-1 at home with Millwall. The 20-year-old made a few very good saves, but made probably his first big mistake for Huddersfield, flapping at a corner which allowed Matt Smith to equalise.

Loris Karius – Besiktas

It was a disappointing opening to September for Karius and Besiktas, losing 3-2 to Gazisehir, after having two men sent off, including former Arsenal man Mohamed Elneny. Unfortunately, Karius made an awful start in this year’s Europa League, his side losing 4-2 to Slovan Bratislava. The Turkish side conceded two in injury time to compound the defeat, though the flashpoint of the loss was Karius’ woeful error in the first half, coming out to claim a ball and making a complete mess of the whole situation. He was much more assured in the following game as his side earned a 1-1 draw with Istanbul Basaksehir. It was a terrible end to September for Karius, with Besiktas losing 4-1 to Trabzonspor. He perhaps could’ve done better for the first goal, a header from a free-kick, though he had no chance with the second – a deflected strike from outside the box. He was beaten by a close-range shot from former Crystal Palace man Alexander Sorloth for the third, before a fourth was added late on. There was a Liverpool reunion on the pitch for Karius when Daniel Sturridge was introduced to the game in the 90^th minute for Trabzonspor.

Allan Rodrigues de Souza – Fluminense

It was a bad start to the month for Allan, who played the full 90 in a 1-0 defeat at home to Avai, despite Fluminense having 26 shots. He then wasn’t in the squad for the next two games against Fortaleza or Palmeiras. The midfielder was back in the side and started in a 1-0 win over Corinthians, though didn’t complete the 90 minutes. He then played the full 90 as his side were resoundingly beaten 3-0 by Goias. Allan started once again as Fluminense drew 1-1 with Santos, in a game which featured three red cards. At least the month finished positively for Allan and Fluminense, who defeated Gremio 2-1 with Allan playing the full match.

Anderson Arroyo – Mlada Boleslav

Colombian left-back Anderson Arroyo joined Czech Republic side Mlada Boleslav on loan this month. He arrives with the side 3^rd in the Czech First Division, seven points off top-of-the-tree Slavia Prague. Boleslav’s first game since Arroyo arrived was a 1-0 defeat to Slavia, though Arroyo was not involved. The South American will have to displace former Sheffield Wednesday man Daniel Pudil for the left-back slot.

Taiwo Awoniyi – Mainz 05

There was the potential for a Liverpool loanee derby when Mainz defeated Hertha Berlin 2-1, but Awoniyi was an unused substitute as his side inflicted a loss on Marko Grujic’s team. He didn’t even make the matchday squad for the 2-1 defeat to Schalke. Mainz lost 1-0 at home to Wolfsburg, with Awoniyi getting 15 minutes from the bench and having an effort on goal saved in his short stint.

Shamal George – Marine 

A latecomer to the loan watch is Shamal George, who joined Merseyside-based Marine very late in the window. Marine play in the Northern Premier League Division One North West, the eighth tier of English football. He did not play in Marine’s win over Padiham in the FA Cup preliminary round. He did start in the next round though, a 2-0 win over Stalybridge Celtic, with George earning man of the match for a string of good saves. It was successive 2-1 losses for Marine next – against Trafford FC and North Yorkshire’s Tadcaster Albion. George started in both games and did reasonably well, with no blame attached to him for any of the four goals. He was in sound form again against Dunston, though his side exited the FA Cup 2-1, despite George going up for a corner in the dying moments. George missed the last two fixtures of the month, a loss to Runcorn Linnetts in the FA Cup and a win over Brighouse, with illness.

Rhys Williams – Kidderminster Harriers

Williams was unavailable for the Harriers’ first two fixtures of the month against Brackley Town and Blyth Spartans, missing these games while on international duty with England U19s. He was instantly restored to the starting eleven on his return, playing the full 90 in a 2-0 home win over Altrincham. Williams started again in an FA Cup qualifying match with Stafford Rangers, which was drawn 0-0, and was in the side once more for the replay, though Harriers lost 3-0 and the defender conceded a penalty with a poor challenge. The young defender started away at Spennymoor, though it was to be an afternoon of disappointment for Williams and Kidderminster, with an injury-time winner resigning the Harriers to a 2-1 loss.

Thanks for reading my loan watch, I hope you enjoyed it. See you again for October’s report!

Daniel (@daykind19)

• About
• Latest Posts

Daniel Daykin

A non-biased voice of reason among fellow Liverpool fans. I'll always tell you the truth, no matter how hard you find it to accept. I miss Suarez. A lot.

Latest posts by Daniel Daykin (see all)

• Liverpool Loan Watch: March 2021 - April 6, 2021
• Liverpool Loan Watch: February 2021 - March 8, 2021
• Liverpool Loan Watch: January 2021 - February 6, 2021