„Loan Army“ & Co.
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The transfer market seems to be getting more complicated every year: not only are there corporations that own several clubs in the top European leagues, but it also happens again and again that players are sold by clubs they have never played for. A very recent example is Brazil international Savinho (20), the latest signing from Manchester City.
Although the attacking talent actually came from Ligue 2 club ESTAC Troyes, also part of the City Football Group, where he had been under contract since 2022. Since moving to Europe two years ago, Savinho has not played a single game for the club he left. After the transfer, he was loaned directly to PSV Eindhoven and last season to sister club FC Girona, where he achieved star status. But the new City professional is by no means the only player to have made such a path from one club to another.
Savinho is not even the most expensive of these transfers that took place in 2024. Ernest Nuamah (20), who moved from Nordsjaelland to Belgian club RWDM in 2023 for 25 million euros, was immediately loaned to Olympique Lyon last season, where he is now permanently employed for 28.5 million euros. Without having played a single game in Belgium.
Both clubs belong to US investor John Textor (background of the transfer). A deal that can top that is that of Yankuba Minteh (20) from Newcastle United to Brighton & Hove Albion. Minteh, who moved from Odense to Newcastle in 2023, spent last season on loan at Feyenoord, not playing a single time for the Magpies before moving on to the Seagulls for €35 million.
How Chelsea and Man City benefit from players who never wore their shirts
Such transfers are by no means a new phenomenon. Evanilson (48) was once included in the transfer of Márcio Amoroso (50) from AC Parma to BVB, but never played for the Italians. Today’s stars such as Cristian Romero (26; from Juventus to Atalanta), Douglas Luiz (26; from Man City to Aston Villa) and Theo Hernández (26; from Atlético to Real Madrid) are also on this list. It is dominated by Italian clubs, but there is a growing number of players from English clubs who were signed at a young age and later sold on without ever making it into the first team of the club they were selling.
It is no great surprise that Chelsea, which once coined the term “loan army” for its loaned players, appears particularly often: Patrick Bamford (30), Christian Atsu, who tragically died in 2023, Thorgan Hazard (31) and Mario Pasalic (29) were all under contract with the Blues before moving to other clubs. Chelsea received a total of €36.9 million for them, with their own financial investment of €7.8 million in transfer fees.
But City has internalized the system even better: The Citizens received a total of almost 60 million euros for Pedro Porro (24), Aaron Mooy (33), Jason Denayer (29), Jack Harrison (27) and Douglas Luiz after the players advanced their development on loan at other clubs. Revenue that helps refinance the most valuable squad in the world. Yan Couto (22) could be next if BVB signs him permanently in 2025.
