In amongst the Steve Bruce debates, the now obligatory IQ tests at the turnstiles of Villa Park, and more draws than a well-stocked Ikea, Aston Villa have a number of players out on loan.
Loan decisions have caused a fair bit of discussion as well, should we have let Orjan Nyland settle in first instead of throwing him in at the deep end given the performances of Jed Steer?
Mitch Clark, was he worth a shot given the completely illogical balance in the first team squad, and Tommy Elphick – just why?
Anyway, as is usual I’ll caveat with apologies for forgetting anyone.
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Jed Steer headed to Charlton Athletic for a season-long loan spell with manager Steve Bruce hoping to see him get a solid season of games under his belt without injuries reappearing. He made his bow for them in the EFL Trophy tie against Wimbledon and he now has five starts to his name with one clean sheet.
Tommy Elphick made a late, and somewhat nonsensical loan out to Hull City on deadline day given our options at the heart of the defence. He made his debut in mid-September against Ipswich Town and he has four starts to his name so far.
Easah Suliman went Dutch and made the switch out to Eredivisie side FC Emmen. With thanks to JW1985 on the Vital Villa Forum Suliman made his debut in the 1st round of the Dutch Cup last week, and finally got 90 minutes under his belt – including some time in midfield apparently.
Mitch Clark capped an impressive pre-season with the first team and our Under 23s by bagging a loan out to Port Vale. The 19-year-old Welshman has hit the ground running at Vale Park and has eight starting appearances to his name so far.
Jordan Lyden was another late deadline day move and he headed to Boundary Park for a spell with Oldham Athletic. He’s yet to feature for the side but he remains with them until January.
Aaron Tshibola renewed his acquaintance with Steve Clarke up at Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock after a semi-successful spell in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign. He made his second bow for them in the clash against Aberdeen and he now has four appearances to his name.
Gary Gardner made the switch across the City to join up with brother Craig at Birmingham City. He has now made nine appearances for them.
Andre Green headed to Fratton Park just ahead of deadline day. He made his debut in the EFL Trophy tie against Gillingham and following that with his League One bow against Shrewsbury Town but he is out injured at the moment. He’s with them until January.
Kelsey Mooney also made a late deadline day move to Cheltenham Town for his first taste of senior football. The loan is only until January, to begin with, and he now has five appearances to his name, with a return of one goal.
Ross McCormack has again headed out to Australia for a season-long loan with Central Coast Marriners. Their season is yet to kick off.
Ritchie de Laet also headed out to Australia for the year, joining up with Melbourne City.
