TransferRoom catches up with Ben Knapper and Carl Fletcher, Loan Managers at Arsenal and Bournemouth, respectively, and David Weir, Pathway Development Manager at Brighton and Hove Albion, to discuss how clubs can maximise success from short-team deals.

One size does not fit all

Stay nearby or move hundreds of miles away? Join a team with a similar playing style or learn to adapt your game? 

There is no single formula to making a loan a success. Giving the individual player an individual pathway plan will maximise your chances of making a loan worthwhile.

Fletcher says: “Every loan is down to the individual and therefore no loan is the same. When you’re looking at clubs, you have to consider distance and location - it’s not relevant to all loans, but from a development loan point of view it might be about getting that player somewhere else.”

Knapper adds: “Ultimately you are dealing with people and people are unpredictable and we don't necessarily like change, so every loan is a challenge for someone. You are asking for someone to adapt to a new environment, a lot of the time these are young players that have only ever known our system that is effectively institutionalised.”

Do your homework

Knowing what a club’s needs are and where your players fit into that equation should ensure the benefits of a loan deal are felt from day one.

“Placement ID is key,” says Knapper. “We are trying to be as objective as we can looking at which market we send the player to and for what reason, the level of competition and the playing style of the team. We really look at the composition of the squad they are going into because that gives us an indication of likely exposure and minutes.”

Fletcher adds: “We really analyse the data and playing stats for loan players in order to filter certain teams. It’s important to look at how a team’s manager has dealt with loan players in the past. Also what is the potential loanee club’s playing style? Do the defenders and midfielders, for example, do what our defenders and midfielders want to do?”

Perfect the pitch

Once the data points line up, it’s vital to send your player to the right club in the right division. Misjudging this calculation could negate the whole process.

“We have to offer clubs something they do not have internally or cannot get externally because of costs or wages,” Weir says. “The club we are loaning to must be happy with the player - he must be better than what they’ve got and have a good chance of playing. 

“We must be happy with the level that the player will get a development both on and off the pitch that will enable him to hopefully play for us one day, and the player has to improve, enjoy the environment he’s working in and be at a competitive level to challenge him, push him and make him better.”

Brighton have been hugely successful with that strategy, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (pictured at Rochdale in 2019-20) and defender Ben White both first team regulars last season after excelling in previous campaigns within England's lower leagues.

Knapper is in full agreement with Weir. 

He says: “A loan player needs to be better than a contracted player in order to motivate the loan club to play him, otherwise they will be more motivated to just play their own assets and develop that player for themselves. So pitching at the right level is really tough. 

“You don't want the level to be too easy where it does not stimulate, develop and stretch him, because that is the whole point.”

Last season, Bournemouth loaned out central defender Zeno Ibsen Rossi to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership. It was the 20-year-old’s first loan, and while the club was ultimately relegated, it was a successful experience for player and parent club.

Fletcher explains: “Kilmarnock took Rossi as third/fourth choice centre back. From our perspective we knew he was going to a good club, at a good level, and living far away from home. It was a great development for him. He came back to us with over 20 first team appearances.

“Players need to be stretched and playing in a league where they will develop, but it’s important we do not get caught up in levels. From a loan development point of view, it’s about players gaining experience and getting game time. Playing 30 or 40 games at a lower league is much better than 10 at a higher league.” 

Know you can’t control everything

Managerial changes are part and parcel of football. With them come fresh ideas, new playing styles and increased challenges.

Knapper: “You are effectively loaning a player out to another organisation, and at that point, you will decrease your control, so that is challenging at times. It can be difficult to influence remotely. More acutely, another challenge is managerial changes, that is something we have faced a lot with our players in the EFL. I think that depending on when that change is happening, there can be a shift towards club contracted players so it presents some challenges.”

But as the parent club of a loan player, ceding control is vital.

Weir explains: “Football is not an ideal world. We had four or five clubs that changed their managers in a two- to three-month period. That is football, that happens. Players will learn to adjust. That becomes part of the loan process and that can be a positive for the players. When a manager changes, they have to gain the trust of a new manager, adapt to different needs, perhaps a different playing style. It's like two loans in one.”

Build relationships

Communication is at the core of any good deal.

Weir refers to loan transfers as “a short-term solution to a longer-term problem” and it's vital that all parties are on the same wavelength.

He explains: “There’s a big element of trust: they trust us with what we offer and we trust them with our players. It’s important to build that relationship early on.”

Fletcher adds: “We have had instances before where clubs have taken our players but they are not fully invested in them. You need to get that initial conversation right and build a partnership. Ultimately we want our player to be fighting hard to get in their first team. That way everyone wins out of a loan.”

Knapper believes the biggest challenges to the loan ecosystem - the lack of control and inability to influence remotely - can be offset by having strong connections.

He continues: “If you trust people, you have a really open dialogue and your interests are aligned, then I think you can overcome a lot of those hurdles… If you have those strong relationships, you give every loan a better chance of succeeding. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but it’s obviously about limiting risks and giving yourself every chance of it going well.”