Foxy's Loan Watch
A relatively uneventful week for the loanees, with many lower league games cancelled because of the snow.
Thursday:
Harry Clarke was not selected to face Bristol City. Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson got 90 minutes under his belt as Alanyaspor won 3-1 against US Salernitana.
Friday:
Folarin Balogun played an hour for Reims in a friendly with Charleroi; he scored a penalty early on. Some are calling for his recall in January as a temporary replacement for Gabriel Jesus, who is out with an MCL injury.
Nikolaj Möller also played 62 minutes for FC Den Bosch in their last game of the year. They lost 1-0, their third loss in a row, with Möller registering two shots, neither on target.
Auston Trusty was in action as Birmingham won 3-2 over Reading. Birmingham were three-nil up and looked dominant, but Reading clawed two goals back late on, the second potentially being caused by Trusty’s failure to close down a long range shot. Meanwhile, Pépé’s OGC Nice fell to a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta
Saturday:
Sparta Rotterdam won 3-1 against Spezia at their Alicante training camp, and although 1 ¾ hours were played with 22 individual players getting minutes, Omar Rekik was not involved.
Charlie Patino played a full game against Cardiff, making nine passes into the final third and being booked in the 62nd.
Unfortunately, Marcelo Flores could not make the Asturian Derby, between Real Oviedo and Sporting de Gijón, due to an ankle injury. In his last game against Eibar, he slipped and had to be taken off. On his 21st birthday, Ryan Alebiosu played the last five minutes in a 3-1 loss to Hearts.
Back in England, Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s Rotherham had a nightmare evening, conceding three goals, with Brooke being taken off in the 65th.
Sunday:
Miguel Azeez was an unused substitute in UD Ibiza’s 4-0 defeat at Albacete