2025/26 Season: Loanees Shape Campaigns Across Europe
The 2025/26 season scattered the club’s talent across Europe and beyond, but a clear pattern emerged: this was a year when loanees stopped just making up the numbers and started shaping campaigns.
Kiwior crowns it in Porto
Nowhere was that more obvious than in Portugal. Jakub Kiwior didn’t just settle at Porto – he became a cornerstone of a title-winning defence. Twenty-six Primeira Liga appearances, a place in the division’s Team of the Season and a league winner’s medal tell their own story. Add eight Europa League outings and five more in the Taca de Portugal, and you get a defender trusted on every front.
His performances have kept him firmly in the Poland setup, and the reward for Porto’s faith is clear: he joins them permanently in July. A loan that turned into a long-term bet.
Vieira’s spark in Hamburg, Nelson’s homecoming
In Germany, Fabio Vieira finally found rhythm. Thirty-one games for Hamburg, seven goals, six assists – the kind of end product that had been missing from his game at times. One moment stood out: a coolly taken penalty to open the scoring against Bayern Munich in January, a reminder that he relishes big stages when they come.
Back in England, Reiss Nelson’s Brentford debut felt like a statement. A goal and an assist in a 5-0 Carabao Cup demolition of Grimsby Town in October announced his arrival in west London. His minutes were more measured after that – 14 appearances in all competitions, 10 of them in the Premier League – but he added depth and directness to Thomas Frank’s forward options.
Nwaneri steps up, Zinchenko moves on
Ethan Nwaneri’s season took him to Marseille, and he didn’t look out of place. Eleven appearances, two goals, one assist – and a first Ligue 1 strike on his debut in a 3-1 win over Lens. The performances did not go unnoticed. He earned a first senior England call-up, named on the bench for a 1-0 win over New Zealand. A teenager edging towards the elite.
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s year split in two. He featured sparingly for Nottingham Forest – five Premier League games, three in the Europa League, one each in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup – but made history as the first Ukrainian to represent the club. By mid-season, his path lay elsewhere and he completed a permanent move to Ajax, trading a survival fight for a new chapter in Amsterdam.
Mixed fortunes in the Bundesliga and beyond
For Karl Hein, the Bundesliga offered only a glimpse. Two early-season appearances against Bayern Munich for St. Pauli were as much as he managed before a thumb injury curtailed his campaign. He spent most of the year on the bench, but his international standing barely flickered. He continued to captain Estonia, most recently in a 1-0 friendly win over Faroe Islands.
Across the pyramid, the stories were quieter but no less important. Lucas Nygaard helped Brabrand IF navigate a tense Danish second division season, making 12 appearances as they finished fourth in Group B and then steered through relegation play-offs. Two clean sheets down the stretch and safety secured by seven points – job done.
In League Two, Maldini Kacurri became a mainstay at Morecambe. Eighteen appearances, one goal, one assist from defence, and regularly trusted to go the full 90. Twice he was named the club’s Player of the Month before a permanent switch to Grimsby Town confirmed his rise.
Louie Copley chipped in with nine League Two games and an assist for Crawley Town, while Harrison Dudziak banked valuable senior minutes with five National League appearances for Braintree Town across December and January. William Sweet’s 10 outings for Dagenham & Redbridge in National League South included a decisive strike in a 1-0 win away at Chesham United.
Kabia’s grit and late drama
If there was a heartbeat story in the men’s academy loans, it belonged to Ismeal Kabia at Shrewsbury Town. Forty-three appearances in all competitions, three goals, two assists, and a key role in keeping the club in League Two. He wasn’t just involved; he was a fixture, one of the first names on the teamsheet and a regular 90-minute performer.
His goals carried drama. A stunning late equaliser against Sutton United in the FA Cup, then a long-range screamer in the 96th minute to snatch a 2-2 draw with Fleetwood Town. Clutch moments in a survival fight that went the distance.
Charles Sagoe Jr also made his mark abroad, delivering two goals and five assists in just 12 games for Kalmar FF across the Allsvenskan and Svenska Cupen. Not a huge sample, but enough to hint at a player who can unlock defences in tight Scandinavian contests.
Kafaji leads the women’s charge
On the women’s side, Rosa Kafaji quietly put together a strong first full season in English football. Twenty-four appearances for Brighton & Hove Albion in all competitions, two goals, and a growing influence in the final third. She became a dependable presence in a side still finding its feet in a fiercely competitive WSL landscape.
Michelle Agyemang’s campaign started brightly in the same colours. One goal in five WSL matches suggested momentum, but an ACL injury cut her loan short and halted her progress just as she was starting to impose herself. A brutal twist in a season that promised more.
Jenna Nighswonger offered steady output at Aston Villa, with eight WSL appearances and one assist. Not headline-grabbing numbers, but a useful contribution in a squad pushing to close the gap on the league’s established elite.
Goals on the road: Gale, Lia and Harbert
Drop down a tier and the picture shifts again. Jessie Gale split her season between Portsmouth and Bristol City and found the net wherever she went. Across 27 matches in all competitions, she scored nine goals and added two assists, showing a sharpness in front of goal that travelled well.
Vivienne Lia’s year took her from Nottingham Forest to silverware in Sweden. She made 12 appearances across all competitions for Forest before joining Hammarby IF on loan, where she helped the club win the Svenska Cupen against BK Hacken. Ten more games followed and she added a goal to cap a fruitful Scandinavian spell.
Laila Harbert’s journey was even more varied. She began the campaign in the NWSL with Portland Thorns, making five appearances in the United States, then returned to England in January for a loan at Everton. There, she featured once in the WSL, a high-profile outing against Chelsea that underlined the trust in her potential.
Earl, Williams and Wellesley-Smith make their mark
Madison Earl’s season unfolded in two distinct chapters. First came Ipswich Town, where she played eight times and scored her first goal for The Tractor Girls in an FA Cup third round win over AFC Portchester. Two assists and the Player of the Round award underlined her impact. Then, in January, she headed north to Glasgow City in SWPL 1, debuting in a 4-0 victory over Partick Thistle in March.
Naomi Williams carved out her own niche at Bristol City, starting three Subway Women’s League Cup fixtures and gaining valuable experience in a competition that often tests squad depth.
Cecily Wellesley-Smith also packed her passport. She began the season on loan at Leicester City, making her debut in the League Cup against Ipswich Town, before moving to Sweden for the second half of the campaign. There, she scored twice in 11 games for FC Rosengard, including a headed goal in a 3-0 win over Vaxjo DFF that signed off their Svenska Cupen campaign with a flourish.
Across continents, leagues and pressure points, the club’s loanees did more than just log minutes. They won trophies, saved seasons, forced permanent moves and edged closer to international breakthroughs. The only question now is how many of them come back to shape the next chapter in their parent club’s story.
