It is time for another loan round-up at The Toffee Blues, looking at how the loanees are doing at their respective clubs. The article will also briefly explore Dele’s move to Besiktas which was finalised on Thursday.
The departure of Dele means that there are now ten Blues players out on loan and this article will cover each of them and how they have performed over recent weeks.
Ryan Astley – Accrington Stanley
Defender Ryan Astley has made a solid start to life at Accrington Stanley. The Wales under-23 international has featured in every league game so far this season, making his debut as a substitute and starting the other three league games.
The 20-year-old, who has been deployed at centre-half for Stanley, will be hoping to continue his good start to the season in Saturday’s home game against Exeter City.
Astley will be hoping to keep a clean sheet for the first time since the opening game of the season, as Stanley look to move up the table and make their mark on the league.
Jarrad Branthwaite – PSV Eindhoven
Branthwaite was an unused substitute in PSV’s loss to Rangers on Wednesday night, meaning that they will now play in the Europa League.
The 20-year-old, who has spoken of Marcel Brands’s influence in signing for the Boeren, will be hoping to feature in European games for his new side.
PSV, who are managed by former Manchester United manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, are a good, young side that Branthwaite will be looking to break into, after making a handful of appearances for the reserve team.
His stock will certainly rise if he features and performs well, and Everton could potentially cash in on him at the end of the season if his loan is a success, or keep hold of the defender and integrate him into the first-team.
Nathan Broadhead – Wigan Athletic
Many Evertonians were confused when Nathan Broadhead signed a new two-year-contract and then joined Wigan Athletic on loan.
Some fans felt that he should have been released as Broadhead, who is now 24, is obviously below the likes of Anthony Gordon in the pecking order.
Though, the deal and the loan move could prove fruitful. Everton are likely to be receiving a loan fee for Broadhead, and he hit the ground running in his first full start for the Latics, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 over Birmingham City, despite Wigan being reduced to ten men from the 10th minute.
The Welshmen had a lot of success at Sunderland, scoring ten goals in twenty games, and garnered a lot of praise from their supporters, who were angry that they were not able to sign him again. Hopefully he can replicate his success at the Latics.
Dele – Besiktas
The loan of midfielder Dele to Turkish giants Besiktas was confirmed on Thursday afternoon by the Club. Dele, who only arrived at the Toffees in January, has joined the Black Eagles until the end of the season, who have options to make the move permanent throughout the season.
Many Evertonians were hoping that Dele could recapture the form that catapulted him to stardom and had Tottenham Hotspur quoting clubs £150 million to sign him. However, he could not impress Lampard and has been sent out on loan.
If he is to leave permanently, he will be remembered for his second-half appearance against Crystal Palace, one that helped Everton secure their Premier League safety.
Every Evertonian will likely wish Dele every success in Turkey and would love to see him fall back in love with football and reignite the spark that has gone out.
Lewis Dobbin – Derby County
County fans have become more impressed with Lewis Dobbin the more he has played for the club. Fans have noted how he is getting better with every game and was given MOTM in their last game against Fleetwood Town.
The 19-year-old was pivotal in the Rams Carabao Cup win against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday evening. Dobbin provided the assist for Louie Sibley after a powerful and scintillating run down the right wing.
Viewed as one of the next breakthrough stars at the Club, many Blues fans will be hoping he continues his good form in a competitive league.
Lewis Gibson – Bristol Rovers 
Gibson started his first game for Joey Barton’s side in a 3-1 defeat to Portsmouth. The left-footed defender, who joined on a season-long loan, was deployed at left centre-back by Barton, but was brought off in the second-half.
This means that the 22-year-old has yet to last a full 90 minutes, though it is early in the season. He will be in contention to start on Saturday against Shrewsbury, but what position he will play is unknown.
Arguably, his best position is at centre-half and not the left-sided defender of a back three, but it remains to be seen what Barton will do after back to back defeats.
Tyler Onyango – Burton Albion
Onyango has not featured for Burton Albion since coming on as a substitute in the 2-0 Carabao Cup first-round defeat to Rochdale on 9 August.
Albion, who are bottom of League One and managed by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, have been playing defender Cameron Borthwick-Jackson in a central midfield role.
But after two unconvincing performances from his side, he may think about reintroducing Onyango to his startling XI.
Ellis Simms – Sunderland
Simms has been performing extremely well for the Black Cats and has earned the adoration of their fans.
Whilst not having scored in his last few appearances, he has developed a great relationship with fellow strike partner Ross Stewart. He also has a great relationship with manager Alex Neil, though at the time of writing he has been given permission to speak to Stoke City about their vacant manager’s position.
Sunderland play Norwich City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, and Simms will be hoping to continue his excellent start to the season.
Harry Tyrer – Chester
Harry Tyrer has played every game for Chester since signing on loan at the start of July. Chester have lost their last two games, conceding four goals in the process, though Tyrer was not at fault for any.
He has picked up a few plaudits for his performances since joining, and Everton will be hoping that he kicks on in a different environment, after signing a new three-year deal at the start of the summer.
Joao Virginia – SC Cambuur
The Portuguese goalkeeper has only played one game since the last round-up, a convincing 4-1 win for his side. He had another busy game, facing nineteen shots, with six of them on target.
Virginia and SC Cambuur, who sit eighth in the Eredivisie, will face their first real test of the season on Sunday when they play top Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.
There was a lot of speculation surrounding Virginia’s future at the start of the season, but a good loan spell at SC Cambuur could allow Everton to either cash in on the 22-year-old, or see if he is good enough to make the step up to Premier League football and challenge Jordan Pickford for the goalkeeper jersey.
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