Liverpool Loan Watch: January 2020

Welcome to the sixth 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 fifteen 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 December piece, you can find it here: http://fanscorners.com/liverpool-loan-watch-december-2019/

Let’s see how they got on in January…

Marko Grujic – Hertha Berlin

Hertha’s first game of 2020 was a 4-0 thrashing by champions Bayern Munich, though Grujic was one of Berlin’s more respectable performers on a tough day. He was terrific as Hertha pulled off a solid 2-1 win away at Wolfsburg, absolutely dominating in the air and being an influential performer in the win. Hertha drew 0-0 at home with Schalke, Grujic starting again and winning everything with his head again, though struggled to have a telling impact on the contest.

Rhian Brewster – Swansea City

After appearing as a substitute in Liverpool’s FA Cup third round win over Everton, 19-year-old striker Rhian Brewster joined Championship side Swansea City in a loan deal until the end of the season. Steve Cooper’s team have had a very good season under him so far and were 6^th at the time of Brewster joining, with Andre Ayew spearheading their playoff charge with 11 goals so far. Brewster joins two other former Liverpool youth players at the Liberty Stadium – Kristoffer Peterson and Yan Dhanda. The striker was thrown in at the deep end after Cooper awarded him a start for the big Wales derby – Cardiff away. He was booked ten minutes into the 0-0 draw for a foul on Lee Tomlin and had a few shots dragged wide in a hard-working but largely ineffective showing. Brewster’s home debut was far more successful. He slotted coolly under David Marshall for his first Swansea goal in a 2-1 win over Wigan and thoroughly impressed with excellent work-rate and carving opportunities for others, leaving to a wonderful reception in the closing stages. I had the pleasure of watching Brewster live in an intriguing Championship clash between Stoke and Swansea. The resurgent Stoke ran out 2-0 winners with goals from Sam Clucas and James McClean, and despite a largely fruitless day up front, Brewster did well in other departments, pressing superbly and not giving Stoke’s back four a minute’s peace, doing particularly well to win a tackle in injury time on McClean. In terms of his production on the ball, he carved a few half-chances for himself but saw them both blocked and often found himself forced wide as he cut an isolated figure for much of the game.

Nathaniel Phillips – Vfb Stuttgart

Phillips returned to Stuttgart for the rest of the season after a short spell on Merseyside, the defender starting a 3-0 win over Heidenheim, keeping a clean sheet in his first game back.

Liam Millar – Kilmarnock

One player who won’t be continuing to appear in this loan watch is Canadian striker Liam Millar, who has been recalled from Kilmarnock after a poor second spell at the Scottish club. His only goal this season came in a win over Hibernian.

Ovie Ejaria – Reading

Reading started January in the same way they finished December – winning. A superb 2-1 win away at Fulham kicked off their year, with Ejaria at the heart of both goals; playing a sensational ball for the first and then showing unbelievable skill to beat his man and assist former Liverpool player Charlie Adam. He didn’t feature in the FA Cup as Reading drew 2-2 with Blackpool to force a replay with the League One side. The midfielder started in a remarkable draw with Nottingham Forest in which both goals were scored beyond the 96^th minute. However, it wasn’t his best game and he limped off in the second half. After missing a cup replay win over Blackpool, he was back in the side for Millwall away, where Reading’s unbeaten run came to an end, losing 2-0 to Gary Rowett’s team, the midfielder struggling to get into the game. Reading played out another 1-1 draw with Forest, this time at the City Ground. Ejaria had hardly any impact on the game bar one excellent spin and run late in the first half. He was once again left out of the FA Cup squad as Reading drew 1-1 with Cardiff in the fourth round but returned for their Championship clash with Bristol City, in which he fluffed a good chance to score, though showed some lovely touches on the ball, despite lacking overall creativity. Another fixture with Cardiff, this time in the Championship, also resulted in a 1-1 draw. Ejaria’s average form continued with a frustrating performance – he showed some nice skills but gave very little in the way of creativity or end product.

Sheyi Ojo – Rangers

Ojo’s first appearance of 2020 came in Rangers’ comfortable 2-0 win over League 1 side Stranraer in the Scottish Cup, coming on from the bench and making what was, by all accounts, a terrible cameo. Ojo then got the last ten in a 1-0 win over St Mirren, with Steven Gerrard praising his performance and saying it was the best he had looked for a while. Rangers’ first defeat in a while came in a 2-1 defeat to Daniel Stendel’s Hearts in which Ojo was brought on late on but could do nothing to impact the game. The winger was handed a surprise start at home to Ross County and had a far better game, offering plenty and nearly getting himself on the scoresheet early on with a driving shot.

Herbie Kane – Hull City

Midfielder Herbie Kane moved to Hull City on loan in early January, linking up with manager Grant McCann, who he was so successful under at Doncaster last season. When he joined Hull, they were 9^th in the Championship, just outside the playoffs after a good run of form spearheaded by goalscoring genius Jarrod Bowen and Tom Eaves, as well as the brilliant defensive performances of Jordy De Wijs. His debut was in the FA Cup at League One fliers Rotherham, who Hull overcame 3-2 courtesy of an Eaves hat-trick. Kane assisted the second goal with a brilliant cross from the byline and impressed with his energy, playing the full 90 as the Tigers booked their place in the fourth round. He retained his place for the league game with Fulham, though had a hard day and was withdrawn later on after too much of the game had passed him by. Kane started against Phillip Cocu’s Derby in a game that I saw live at Pride Park. Kane was impressive and nearly registered a great assist for Bowen, but for a poor finish. The midfielder was busy and very tidy on the ball, keeping Wayne Rooney quiet and was unlucky not to score in the second half, though Hull were beaten 1-0. There was a huge test for Kane and Hull as they took on Chelsea in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Kane was one of Hull’s better performers in a spirited performance from the Tigers as they exited the competition 2-1 at home. He was on set-piece duty and delivered a few good ones, while also making some nice, ambitious passes in the final third. Hull were beaten by Huddersfield in the Championship with Kane starting and showing a few decent moments but having little influence on the match. With both Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki leaving the club on deadline day, there will be plenty of added impetus on Kane to step up and perform for Hull in the remainder of the season.

Isaac Christie-Davies – Cercle Brugge

An interesting loan move was confirmed in early January by Liverpool – the signing of midfielder Isaac Christie-Davies by Belgian side Cercle Brugge. Christie-Davies started in the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Aston Villa and joins the team bottom of the Belgian Pro League. Cercle are fierce rivals with Simon Mignolet’s Club Brugge and share a stadium with their nemesis. In terms of their squad, it is one packed with loanees, six of which are at Monaco. It is also the current home of ex-Rangers midfielder Lassana Coulibaly. Christie-Davies didn’t make the squad for the first game of 2020, a 2-1 defeat to Antwerp in which Kylian Hazard, brother of Real Madrid star Eden, started. He was once again left out of the squad for the visit of Anderlecht, meaning he finished January without a competitive appearance.

Ben Woodburn – Oxford United

Ben Woodburn’s 2020 began with bad news. He was edging ever closer to a return to action for promotion-chasing Oxford, after being ruled out since October with injury. However, on the eve of his return, he picked up a different injury in his other foot which is likely to keep him out until mid-February. Oxford were beaten 1-0 by Darren Moore’s Doncaster before sailing past non-league Hartlepool 4-1 in the FA Cup third round. Rotherham went to the top of the league after beating Oxford 3-1 away from home, though the U’s followed this up with respectable draws with Ipswich and Gillingham. Oxford’s fourth round tie was against Premier League Newcastle, and they got a very respectable 0-0 draw to take the Toon back to the Kassam Stadium.

Harry Wilson – Bournemouth

Wilson started 2020 with a hefty defeat at West Ham in David Moyes’ first game in charge of the Hammers. The Welshman gave away a penalty, which was an incredibly harsh decision by the referee, as there was hardly any contact on Mark Noble, if anything it looked like Noble tripped himself up. However, a lack of positive involvement in the game meant he was withdrawn at half time in a game his side ultimately were humiliated in, losing 4-0. However, his side were on the right end of a 4-0 scoreline next time out, as they defeated Championship strugglers Luton in the FA Cup third round, with Wilson assisting his namesake Callum for Bournemouth’s second, intercepting well and showing a good burst of pace before squaring for the England striker to score. Wilson was in from the start again for the visit of Nigel Pearson’s Watford and came very close with an early free-kick, though that was as good as it got, with Wilson subbed on 75 minutes after a quiet performance in a dreadful 3-0 defeat. Wilson started a 1-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Norwich, though was sacrificed after half an hour when Steve Cook was sent off for a ridiculous handball. The winger was excellent in a 3-1 win over rivals Brighton, producing one of his best performances of the season. He opened the scoring in the first half with a great finish inside the box after being supplied by Dominic Solanke and was busy and effective all night long as Bournemouth finally got a win in the league. The Cherries were eliminated from the FA Cup by Arsenal at home, Wilson starting the game but having little effect.

Kamil Grabara – Huddersfield Town

Grabara was involved in an entertaining fixture at home to Stoke to start the year. The away side were 5-2 winners after being 2-1 down, with Grabara badly at fault for Stoke’s third – coming out to claim a cross and badly misjudging it, leaving his net empty for Tyreese Campbell to slot into. Joel Coleman took Grabara’s place for the FA Cup exit at Premier League Southampton, with some Huddersfield fans suggesting that Coleman should keep his place for the forthcoming league games. However, Grabara was retained for the league clash at Oakwell, where Barnsley were 2-1 winners. The Pole wasn’t at fault for either goal but it was another bad result for the Terriers. Grabara made some good saves as he kept a surprise clean sheet against free-scoring Brentford in a 0-0 draw, though had a nervy moment with an awful pass from the back. The Pole was between the sticks as Huddersfield got a good away win at Hull City, Grabara making two excellent saves to keep Hull at bay, before he had to be taken off on a stretcher after a head injury. It was later confirmed that Grabara had been unconscious and suffered a bleed on the brain, which is likely to keep him out of action for around a month. Huddersfield confirmed the loan signing of their former keeper Jonas Lossl from Everton on deadline day, meaning that even when Grabara returns to fitness, his position may not be safe.

Loris Karius – Besiktas

Besiktas suffered a surprise 3-2 loss in the first leg of their cup clash with Buyuksehir, Karius starting as his side conceded a late penalty. His side were beaten by Sivasspor at home in another shock, Karius conceding twice in the first half. They couldn’t overturn the deficit in the Turkish Cup, losing 3-2 again to exit the tournament 6-4 on aggregate, Karius seeing the ball beat him in the first minute. Besiktas were once again beaten by Goztepe, leaving them 7^th at the end of the month.

Allan Rodrigues de Souza – Fluminense

Following the conclusion of his loan at Fluminense, Allan has now moved to another Brazilian side: Atletico Mineiro. However, this time he will not be there on loan, as the midfielder has left Liverpool for good in a deal worth around £3m. Work permit issues meant that the 22-year-old – who had six loans while on Merseyside – never played for the Liverpool first team.

Anderson Arroyo – Mlada Boleslav

Mlada haven’t played a competitive game in January, though have had a few friendlies. February and the rest of the season will hopefully see Arroyo break into the first team for the Czech club.

Daniel Atherton – Marine FC

Youth team goalkeeper Daniel Atherton joined Marine on loan in January, replacing the departing Shamal George at the Merseyside club, becoming the second stopper to join them from Liverpool this season. His debut was against Yorkshire side Brighouse in an action-packed 2-2 draw. Unfortunately for Atherton, he was pretty culpable for both goals, badly parrying a free-kick into an attacker’s path for the first before a breakdown in communication with his centre-back resulted in a Brighouse striker being presented with an empty net to score into.

Taiwo Awoniyi – Mainz 05

Awoniyi did not make the squad for the fixture with Freiburg, with speculation growing that his loan could be terminated due to a lack of gametime. This looked even more likely after again not being involved in the matchday squad for a 3-1 defeat to Borusia Monchengladbach.

Shamal George – Marine 

George made several good saves as Marine held on for a 2-1 win away at Prescot Cables to start 2020. Marine drew 3-3 with Colne in an entertaining fixture, though George didn’t have his best outing. He didn’t take part in the 4-1 win at Widnes, which as a Warrington Wolves rugby league fan, delighted me! The Colne game was George’s final match with Marine before returning to Liverpool.

Rhys Williams – Kidderminster Harriers

The Harriers suffered a 2-1 loss at Hereford on New Years’ Day, with Williams playing the full 90. Suspension ruled him out of the next three games after being handed a three-match ban for a red card picked up in a late December clash with Brackley Town.

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

Daniel (@daykind19)

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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)

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