Real Madrid: Grading every loanee from the 2020-21 season

Real Madrid sent a bevy of players out on loan during the 2020-2021 season. From Castilla prospects to more experienced players like Dani Ceballos, Los Blancos made use of several loans to help give individuals some valuable minutes that they would not have obtained with the first team. Some of these loans worked out well, while a few of them did not quite work out.

Let’s take a look back at nine prominent loan deals during the past season and grade how they shook out. The grades, on a scale of 1-10 like match ratings, will be based on a combination of individual performances, expectations, and the fit with the club they were sent to.

Granada CB Jesus Vallejo

We begin with Jesus Vallejo, whose future with Real Madrid looks cloudy. Vallejo could be asked to return to the first team if Real cannot obtain enough depth at center back, as Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane could be on the way out. That would leave Los Blancos with just Eder Militao, Nacho Fernandez, and the versatile David Alaba with Victor Chust and Pablo Ramon as the notable Castilla men.

Vallejo’s reputation has fallen since a strong 2016-2017 campaign with Eintracht Frankfurt and a few good appearances for Real Madrid the following season. He had another nondescript year at Granada in 2020-2021 after spending half of the 2019-2020 season on loan there, as his earlier loan to Wolves was pretty much a disaster.

Rating: 4.0