Top 20 Loan Deals from the 2014 Summer Transfer Window

The 2014 summer transfer window was as memorable for its large number of loan signings, as it was for permanent deals. 

On deadline day alone, well-known names like Radamel Falcao, Javier Hernandez, Marco van Ginkel, Toby Alderweireld and Micah Richards were all on the move across Europe on loan.

With players regularly sent away to gain first-team experience, Financial Fair Play is also affecting the current market, where clubs are eager to farm out fringe players to increase their revenue streams and balance the the books. In the future, we can expect to see even more deals of this nature in every transfer window.

Over the next 20 slides we take a look at some of the best loans of summer 2014. The players in this slideshow are arranged in order of name recognition, with the most well-known coming in at No. 1.

This slideshow features up-and-coming young stars—like Tin Jedvaj and Julian Green—who need playing time to continue with their development, players who need a change after stagnating at their parent clubs—like Fernando Torres—and those who need to show they have got what it takes to nail down a place in their respective sides—like Jonas Hofmann and Thorgan Hazard. Finally, this slideshow also features players who have gone out on loan so that certain teams can attempt to fall in line with FFP regulations, such as Falcao and Serge Aurier.

Below is a list of players who made loan moves across Europe this summer, but did not make it into the final 20. Unless stated otherwise, these are all one-season loan deals. This is not an exhaustive selection. 

Bundesliga:

• Lewis Holtby: Tottenham Hotspur to Hamburg
• Kyriakos Papadopoulos: Schalke to Bayer Leverkusen

Championship:

• Daniel Tozser: Parma to Watford—Two-season loan deal
• Omar Mascarell: Real Madrid to Derby County

La Liga:

• Alvaro Negredo: Manchester City to Valencia
• Iago Aspas: Liverpool to Sevilla
• Casemiro: Real Madrid to FC Porto
• Denis Suarez and Gerard Deulofeu: Barcelona to Sevilla

Premier League:

• Tom Cleverley: Manchester United to Aston Villa
• Eduardo Vargas: Napoli to Queens Park Rangers
• Hatem Ben Arfa: Newcastle United to Hull City
• Gaston Ramirez: Southampton to Hull City
• Alex Song: Barcelona to West Ham
• Silvestre Varela: Porto to West Bromwich Albion
• Wilfried Zaha: Manchester United to Crystal Palace

Serie A:

• Micah Richards: Manchester City to Fiorentina
• Marco van Ginkel: Chelsea to AC Milan
• Roberto Pereyra: Udinese to Juventus
• Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa: Newcastle United to AS Roma
• Dodo: AS Roma to Inter Milan

Age: 18

Loan From: AS Roma

Loan To: Bayer Leverkusen 

Length of Loan: Two seasons

Bayer Leverkusen have spent well on young talent this summer—snapping up Hakan Calhanoglu, Josip Drmic and Wendell on permanent deals and bringing in Tin Jedvaj and Kyriakos Papadopoulos on loan.

Jedvaj is an incredibly exciting prospect and he has wasted no time settling into life at the BayArena. The young Croatian, who was signed by Roma from Dinamo Zagreb last summer, has already scored twice in the Bundesliga for his new side and has bagged an assist in both the league and in a Champions League qualifier against FC Copenhagen. 

One of those goals was this wonder-strike against Werder Bremen. After viewing, it's worth bearing in mind that Jedvaj is a right-back...

"In his home country he has garnered comparisons to Paolo Maldini; it’s a lot to live up to, but this youngster is certainly not one to shy away from the challenge," says Jedvaj's player profile on Roma's official website.

Roger Schmidt's side will have the teenager on loan for the next two years. Lucky them.

Age: 22

Loan From: Benfica

Loan To: Mainz 

Length of Loan: Season-long

Filip Djuricic joined Mainz over the summer for a loan fee of just €500,000. For the season ahead, the Bundesliga side have bagged a Serbian international—one who has 22 appearances under his belt for Benfica. He also scored 20 goals and provided 23 assists for Eredivisie side Heerenveen before heading to Portugal last summer.

The two-footed midfielder is most at home in an attacking role and he can also play on the left wing, or as a centre-forward. As Mainz manager Kasper Hjulmand told FIFA.com, "He's a very talented footballer who is very agile and a threat in front of goal. He's going to lift the level of our football further while his versatility gives our attacking play even more variety."

In 2012, the Serbian was being linked with a move to Manchester United and Liverpool, as seen on SkySports.com. 

Benfica have a player with plenty of promise on their hands, with Mainz the fortunate club who get to develop his talent until June 2015. 

Age: 19

Loan From: Atletico Madrid

Loan To: FC Porto 

Length of Loan: Season-long

An exciting prospect who has come up through the ranks with Atletico Madrid, Oliver Torres was shipped out to Porto this summer, in search of regular first-team football.

Last season, the young Spaniard made seven La Liga appearances for Atleti and played four group ties in the Champions League before being sent on loan to Villarreal, where he played in eight league games. 

The two-footed midfielder looks destined to become a huge name in coming seasons, his vision, technical ability and tactical awareness make him look like a player well beyond his 19 years. 

Already on the scoresheet in the Primeira Liga, in a 3-0 win against Moreirense, Torres has played in three of Porto's opening four games this season. He has also been in Julen Lopetegui's starting XI for both of his side's Champions League qualifiers.

Age: 27

Loan From: FC Zenit St. Petersburg

Loan To: Atletico Madrid

Length of Loan: Season-long

Cristian Ansaldi joined Atletico Madrid over the summer with a wave of fellow new recruits, as Diego Simeone attempted to rebuild his squad for the season ahead.

The Argentine was the only new face to be brought in on loan and, to some, he may even be a relative unknown. Ansaldi has spent his entire senior career in Russia, since joining Rubin Kazan from Newell's Old Boys in January 2008 and later, Zenit St. Petersburg, who he signed for last summer.

A versatile player, he is comfortable playing left-back, right-back or on the left side of midfield—a quality which could make him invaluable for Simeone, both domestically and in Europe this season. 

Ansaldi has appeared in just one La Liga game (out of a possible three) so far this term. However, he chalked up 90 minutes in Atleti's 3-2 defeat against Olympiakos this week, in which he got an assist for Mario Mandzukic.

Age: 19

Loan From: Bayern Munich 

Loan To: Hamburg 

Length of Loan: Season-long

He's had ringing endorsements from Bayern Munich teammates, is highly rated by Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klinsmann and he introduced himself on the international stage with this goal, scored for the USA against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup.

Julian Green, it seems, will be a star of the future.

The Florida-born player first started attracting attention during the 2011/12 season, where he bagged 17 goals in 25 matches for Bayern Munich's under-17s. Green's scoring continued throughout 2012/2013, where he put away 10 goals for the under-19s, with six assists.

"He's a great talent," Arjen Robben told SI.com last March. "He already trained with [Bayern's first team] several times, and you can see he has potential. He's quick, he's got very good dribbling and can score goals."

Bastian Schweinsteiger added: "First, I think he has a good personality. That's for me always important. And second he's very quick—without the ball and with the ball. He plays a little bit like me."

With 15 goals and eight assists in the Regionalliga Bayern last season, plus a first-team debut in the Champions League and a goal in the World Cup, Green's stock continues to rise.

The young winger will spend this season on loan at the Imtech Arena, where he should get much-needed playing time. Hamburg, who flirted with relegation last term, can only benefit from having Green among their ranks. 

Age: 20

Loan From: Chelsea

Loan To: Middlesbrough

Length of Loan: Season-long

He signed for Chelsea from Standard Liege in January 2012. Since then, Kenneth Omeruo has spent an 18-month spell with Eredivisie side Den Haag and half of last season at the Riverside Stadium with Middlesbrough. 

This term, he is back with Aitor Karanka's side in the Championship, where he will stay until the end of the current campaign.

Omeruo won the African Cup of Nations with Nigeria in 2013 and he started all four of the Super Eagles' World Cup games in Brazil this summer. 

A promising centre-half, Omeruo may not get the chance to star at Stamford Bridge but he has been turning plenty of heads in the north-east.

Age: 20

Loan From: Atletico Madrid

Loan To: Liverpool

Length of Loan: Two seasons

Javier Manquillo became Liverpool's seventh summer signing in early August, when a loan deal was agreed to bring him to Anfield from Atletico Madrid.

The right-back has represented Spain at every youth level up to under-21 (he made his under-21 debut on September 4), but looked set to have another season on the sidelines with Atleti, where he made just seven appearances in all competitions last season.

Seen as a replacement for Glen Johnson, Manquillo has slipped straight into Brendan Rodgers' side, where he has played every minute in three Premier League games so far and clocked up 90 minutes against Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League. 

Early performances show that the Spaniard is not just there to make up the numbers and he could become an integral player at Liverpool.

Age: 19

Loan From: Liverpool

Loan To: Lille

Length of Loan: Season-long

One of the breakout stars of the 2014 World Cup, Belgian international Divock Origi was snapped up by Liverpool for £10 million in late July. He then rejoined Lille immediately on loan for the 2014/15 season.

Origi discussed the move with Le Parisien (h/t ESPNFC.com):

I didn't hesitate. I made the choice to continue with Lille for a year because I still have work to do. This season will be very important for my personal development.

I want to show more of what I can do on the pitch, and to take on more responsibility. I think that's a rite of passage you have to undergo before you join a big club. That's a real challenge for this season.

The teenager has obvious talent yet is still raw, and a move back to his former club was a sensible step to take to continue his development. Already Origi has impressed, slotting away a penalty in a Ligue 1 tie against Caen last month and scoring one and setting up one in Lille's most recent league outing, a 2-0 win against FC Nantes.

Age: 22

Loan From: Borussia Dortmund

Loan To: Mainz

Length of Loan: Season-long

Used primarily as a substitute by Borussia Dortmund last season—his first full campaign in the Bundesliga—Jonas Hofmann's loan deal with Mainz should be a great move for both player and club.

The winger gets regular first-team football, something that looked increasingly unlikely when it was announced that Shinji Kagawa would be returning to Signal Iduna Park. Mainz get a hungry young player for the season—one who bagged 10 assists in all club competitions last term, who plays a big role for the German under-21 side and will be desperate to show that he can cut it when he returns to Jurgen Klopp.

As Hofmann told Kicker (h/t Vavel.com), "I'm trying to gather match practice in Mainz, to draw attention to myself and to give everything. I see it as a great opportunity. As a young player, it is important to play a lot."

Age: 21

Loan From: Chelsea

Loan To: Borussia Monchengladbach

Length of Loan: Season-long

One of many Chelsea players to be loaned out this summer, this will be Thorgan Hazard's third consecutive season playing away from Stamford Bridge.

Loaned out to Zulte Waregem between August 2012 and June 2014, Hazard impressed to such an extent in his home country that he was voted the Belgian league's best player in 2013.

Last season he scored 17 goals in all competitions and, this term, he has already bagged two for his new side in the Europa League, while making three substitute appearances in the Bundesliga.

Age: 25

Loan From: Chelsea

Loan To: Southampton 

Length of Loan: Season-long

Ryan Bertrand is no stranger to the short-term deal. The left-back had been shipped out on no fewer than six separate occasions before his most recent move to Southampton.

The player—who made his Champions League debut in Chelsea's 2012 final win—is one of 26 names who the Blues have sent on loan this summer. Like many who have found themselves on the sidelines at Stamford Bridge, Bertrand needs a full season of first-team football if he is going to progress.

Already, he has settled into life on the south coast, where he has played in every minute of the Saints' opening four Premier League fixtures, and he bagged an assist in their most recent tie (a 4-0 win against Newcastle).

It's a deal that could be made permanent at the end of the season. When asked what his targets are for the next nine months, by The Guardian's Stuart James, Bertrand recently said, "England caps, a solid finish with Southampton and a full season playing in the Premier League." 

Age: 21

Loan From: Toulouse

Loan To: Paris Saint-Germain

Length of Loan: Season-long

Serge Aurier was destined for a big move this summer after his consistently impressive performances for Toulouse and the Ivory Coast.  

There was speculation during the 2014 World Cup that the right-back was on his way to Arsenal, with Liverpool, Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers also being linked with his name, as reported by Alex Harris in the Express.

However, it was Paris Saint-Germain who signed Aurier on a season-long loan, with an option to buy—the club neatly side-stepping Financial Fair Play spending restrictions in the process. Upon signing, the defender told the club's official website:

To play for Paris Saint-Germain, with the exceptional players this club has, is a dream come true. I will give my maximum to help the club reach the summits. After taking part in the World Cup for the first time, I am having a fantastic summer. I would like to thank the club for the confidence they have shown in me.

An excellent defender who is also dangerous in the final third—he notched six league goals and seven assists last season—Aurier has been brought in to replace Christophe Jallet, who joined Lyon in the summer. He will also put pressure on Gregory van der Wiel in PSG's starting XI, as he continues to develop in Ligue 1. 

Age: 23

Loan From: Barcelona

Loan To: FC Porto 

Length of Loan: Two seasons

Barcelona have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to forwards, which explains why Cristian Tello has been allowed to join Porto on a two-year loan deal.

Twice in Barca's starting XI in La Liga last season, the Spaniard made 30 appearances (in all competitions) for the side in 2013/14. 

With Atletico Madrid's Oliver Torres and Real Madrid's Casemiro, Tello is one of three highly-rated young La Liga-based players—along with Sampdoria's Jose Campana—to join Porto on loan this summer, as the club try to improve on last season's third-placed finish.

It's no surprise, as coach Julen Lopetegui has coached Torres, Campana (under-19 European champions in 2012) and Tello (under-21 European champion in 2013) at international youth levels.

Tello, a winger, notched an assist in his first game for his new side in only nine minutes on the pitch. Injury has seen his time limited since then but, once fully fit, he should be a force to be reckoned with as Porto try to get back on track. 

Age: 24

Loan From: Rubin Kazan

Loan To: Inter Milan 

Length of Loan: Season-long

If Yann M'Vila builds on the performances that saw him hailed as one of France's hottest prospects years ago, his loan to Inter Milan could turn out to be an inspired move.

The defensive midfielder's career faltered after he was banned for playing for France by his own federation in 2012 for visiting a nightclub when on international under-21 duty, as seen on BBC Sport. He was sold to Russian side Rubin Kazan in January 2013 by Rennes.

Now able to play for his country again, this summer M'Vila has joined an Inter side who needed a physical presence in the heart of midfield and, along with fellow new recruit Gary Medel, he could turn out to be an important addition to Walter Mazzarri's side. 

Age: 26

Loan From: Juventus

Loan To: Queens Park Rangers 

Length of Loan: Season-long

Queens Park Rangers conducted an excellent piece of business when they managed to attract Mauricio Isla to Loftus Road—the Chilean international joining the side from Juventus.

Isla has made 47 appearances for Juve over the last two years, per Transfermarkt, since signing from Udinese. Over the summer he was an ever-present for his country at the World Cup, before Chile's eventual exit in the final 16.

As he adapts to the English game, the flying right-back will be a real asset for the Hoops this season, who will be facing a tough fight to stay in the Premier League.

Isla's season-long loan also has the option to be made into a permanent deal, as seen on BBC Sport. 

Age: 25

Loan From: Atletico Madrid

Loan To: Southampton

Length of Loan: Season-long

Together with Sadio Mane, Toby Alderweireld was one of two impressive deadline day additions to Ronald Koeman's Southampton—the latter joining on loan from Atletico Madrid, just one year after joining the Spanish side.

In 2013, after entering the final six months of his contract with Ajax, Alderweireld was linked with a host of clubs including Spartak Moscow, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Norwich City, as seen on SkySports.com, before eventually putting pen to paper with Atleti.

The Belgium international, who can play in central defence and at right-back, found it hard to break into Diego Simeone's side last term and made just 12 appearances in La Liga.

Highly experienced in his nine years at Ajax, Alderweireld is likely to make an excellent addition to Southampton, who saw centre-back Dejan Lovren, right-back Calum Chambers and left-back Luke Shaw depart this summer. 

Age: 26

Loan From: Manchester United

Loan To: Real Madrid

Length of Loan: Season-long

It will take some time to discover whether Javier Hernandez's deadline day loan signing with Real Madrid was the right move or not. It could be a case of going from one bench to another, with the Mexico international forced to watch from the sidelines, as he did with increasing regularity at Old Trafford.

Brought in as cover for Karim Benzema, it could also turn out to be a success, as the striker will undoubtedly add depth to Carlo Ancelotti's squad, who—despite their riches in attack—have only one out-and-out striker in the Frenchman. 

So far, Hernandez has clocked up eight minutes in the Champions League and 26 minutes in Madrid's 2-1 La Liga defeat to rivals Atletico Madrid. Should he be given time and the chance to rediscover the confidence in front of goal that saw him put away 20 strikes in his first season with Manchester United, his Madrid dream may come true. 

As the former Guadalajara man was quoted on ESPNFC.com: 

I am coming here to do what I can, to give everything for this club. The fans will see a player who always gives everything, to try and help the team. This is a team game and the most important thing is for the club to keep winning trophies. I see this as an opportunity.

Age: 36

Loan From: New York City FC

Loan To: Manchester City

Length of Loan: Until January 2015

Frank Lampard put pen to paper with Major League Soccer franchise New York City FC after being released by Chelsea over the summer. 

It was a coup for Manchester City who—as a joint owner of the new MLS side—managed to bag the former England international on loan until January. Manuel Pellegrini's side will benefit from added strength in depth and have managed to sign a seasoned Premier League star and Champions League-winner for absolutely nothing, thus avoiding over-spending in light of FFP. 

The next MLS season will not kick off until March 2015. Until then, City have an excellent addition to their side. 

Age: 30

Loan From: Chelsea

Loan To: AC Milan 

Length of Loan: Two seasons

It never quite worked out for Fernando Torres at Chelsea where, despite winning the FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League, he will be remembered for his poor strike rate and the £50 million price tag that hung heavy around his neck.

The death knell sounded on Torres' career in SW6 as soon as Diego Costa's deal was finalised this summer and, after much speculation on where the striker would go next, he agreed a loan deal with AC Milan on August 31.

It remains to be seen whether Torres will be a hit at the San Siro, but his two-year loan deal could potentially revive his career. With no big transfer fee and with expectations significantly lowered, it could turn out to be an excellent move.

According to Calcio Mercato (h/t Gerard Brand in the Daily Mail), Rossoneri boss Filippo Inzaghi has vowed to make Torres, "one of the best in the world again."

Age: 28

Loan From: Monaco

Loan To: Manchester United

Length of Loan: Season-long

Manchester United's capture of Radamel Falcao blindsided everyone.

Rumours had suggested that the Colombian could be on his way to Real Madrid, Arsenal, Juventus or Manchester City, as seen on BBC Sport, yet it was Louis van Gaal's side who won out on deadline day.

It appeared that Monaco were keen to offload Falcao's expensive wages, after the club's owner Dmitry Rybolovlev refused to pay fines related to FFP, as reported by Canal Plus (h/t Ben Jefferson in the Express). 

The season-long loan deal (with an option to buy) did not come cheap, with the striker said to be on £265,000-a-week at Old Trafford. However, if he attains the kind of goalscoring figures that he reached with FC Porto and Atletico Madrid, it will be seen as a snip.

According to BBC Sport, Falcao has scored 104 goals in 139 games, since moving to Europe from River Plate in 2009.