Top Ten: Premier League Loan Deals

10. Robbie Keane (Inter Milan to Leeds)
Keane signed for Inter for a record £13million in 2000 but was left out in the cold following the sacking of Marcello Lippi. After just half a season in Italy, Leeds swooped for the striker to boost their stuttering domestic campaign. The team was performing well in the Champions League but as Keane was ineligible to play in Europe, his focus was on improving their league position. The deal worked out well for both parties, as the Irishman gained a permanent move with nine goals in 18 league games and Leeds jumped up to fourth, finishing just two points behind runners-up Arsenal.





9. Pavel Pogrebnyak (Stuttgart to Fulham)
The inspiration for this list and the league's in-form striker. Pogrebnyak hasn't always impressed in the past, but the start of his spell at Fulham has been nothing short of spectacular. The big Russian has had a total of seven shots so far, five of which have been on target and resulted in goals. Pogrebnyak's link-up play is excellent and the forward has taken no time to settle, gelling superbly with Fulham's creative attacking unit. While the Cottagers may not achieve any tangible success this season, they are playing the brightest football of their stay in the Premier League and Martin Jol must be hoping to make Pogrebnyak's move permanent in the summer.


8. Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea to Bolton)
Bolton's season was heading nowhere fast in January 2011, and Owen Coyle spied the acquisition of Sturridge as a chance to inject a bit of skill into his team, similar to Jack Wilshere's contribution in the previous campaign. The move didn't exactly go to plan for Wanderers as they slumped from 11th to 16th, but despite this, Sturridge's excellent performances saw the striker establish himself as a serious contender for a starting role at Chelsea upon his return. Indeed, without those eight goals in 12 games, it's unlikely Sturridge would have become a regular fixture in the Blues team this season, picking up two England caps along the way.


7. Kevin Campbell (Trabzonspor to Everton)
After a troubling time at Trabzonspor in Turkey - in which he was subjected to racist abuse from the club's president - Campbell returned to England to help Everton fight the drop in March 1999. The striker only played eight games, but a remarkable nine goals saw him finish as the Toffees' top scorer and prompted a £3million transfer. Campbell's six goals in his first three games saw him named April player of the month, becoming the first loan player ever to win the award.


6. Andres D'Alessandro (Wolfsburg to Portsmouth)
The arrangement to bring D'Alessandro to Portsmouth was top-drawer wheeler dealin' from 'Arry. A diminutive, exceptionally skillful South American attacker was the last thing you'd think Pompey needed for an end-of-season survival fight, but he proved to be a catalyst in the late run that saw them escape the drop. The goal of the season contender against Charlton was the highlight of his short stay on the south coast, as Redknapp failed to convince the Argentine to sign a permanent deal. D'Alessandro's football odyssey has since taken him to Internacional in Brazil where he won the 2010 Copa Libertadores and was crowned South American Player of the Year.


5. Christophe Dugarry (Bordeaux to Birmingham)
The French World Cup and European Championship winner signed for Birmingham in January 2003 with the club struggling in the Premier League. Having previously played for Barcelona, AC Milan and Marseille, it was rather odd to see the mercurial striker turn up at St. Andrews for a survival scrap, and Steve Bruce hailed his arrival as the biggest signing in Brum's history. The manager was duly rewarded with five goals in four matches as Dugarry's skill and grit inspired the team away from the relegation zone and into 13th place. A permanent deal followed, but a nagging knee injury saw the forward leave by mutual consent, with Bruce describing his impact as 'absolutely unbelievable'.


4. Kieran Richardson (Manchester United to West Brom)
When Richardson joined West Brom on loan from Manchester United in January 2005, the Baggies looked doomed. Bryan Robson's team had been bottom at Christmas and didn't look like budging from the position before the end of the season. In fact, despite Richardson's significant contribution, they were still 20th at the start of the final day's climactic action. All was not lost, however, as their loan star scored the second goal in a crucial 2-0 win that saw the Baggies leap to 17th, and Richardson was paraded around the pitch on the shoulders of celebrating fans. The winger's form during his spell at the Hawthorns was so impressive that he earned a call-up to the England squad for the summer friendlies, scoring twice on his debut against the USA.


3. Mikel Arteta (Real Sociedad to Everton)
David Moyes has made many shrewd signings in his decade at Everton, but none more so than the loan of Arteta for the latter half of the 2004/05 season. The Spaniard had returned to La Liga with Real Sociedad after two successful years at Rangers, but after he struggled to settle in the Basque Country, Moyes stepped in to bolster his squad as the Toffees strived to break into the top four. Arteta flourished in a creative midfield role as Everton clung on to fourth spot to qualify for the Champions League for the first time and a £2million permanent transfer led to many more happy memories and a sizeable profit courtesy of Arsenal.


2. Jurgen Klinsmann (Sampdoria to Tottenham)
Klinsmann had already written his name into Tottenham folklore following a brief but brilliant spell in north London in 1994/95. The German's exploits that season saw him pick up the Football Writers' Player of the Year award as well as being immortalised in wax at Madame Tussauds after notching 29 goals in all competitions. Klinsmann returned to answer Spurs' calls for help midway through the 1997/98 campaign with the club neck-deep in relegation trouble. Nine goals in 15 games - including four in a 6-2 rout of Wimbledon - saw the team survive before he jetted off to California. And the rest, as they say, is not important to this list.


1. Carlos Tevez (Media Sports Investment to West Ham/Man United)
Probably the best player ever to be loaned due to his tangled ownership issues, Tevez spent temporary spells at West Ham and Manchester United before 'settling' at Man City. While Tevez's loan to the Hammers resulted in costly remuneration off the pitch, his dogged determination in the second half of the season saw the team escape the trap door just 12 months after appearing in the FA Cup final. The Argentine's rousing contribution - including the winning goal at Old Trafford on the final day of the 2006/07 season to secure safety - earned him a step up the loan ladder to United where he won the Champions League and two Premier League titles. His 2007 'Hammer of the Year' award will always be the closest to his heart, however.




source: http://www.football365.com/topical-top-10/7571602/Top-Ten-Premier-League-Loan-Deals...