As we approach January, we might whether they still have a future or not at the club, so I’m going to give you a run through of how our loan players have been getting on.
Max Melbourne
It hasn’t been easy ride for Melbourne since he made his loan move permanent in January 2020, he was expected to be the replacement for Harry Toffolo but with the season being postponed he was unable to properly stake his claim. He was kept out of the team by, at the time, 17-year-old Sean Roughan and later by Tayo Edun, so he ended up leaving on loan to Walsall in January 2021 and was told he was not needed, but he impressed in pre-season and had a run of games at the start of the season, due to injuries, but despite playing well he left on loan to Stevenage on deadline. He was out recovering from COVID-19 for a while and has struggled to start over ex-imp Ben Coker so has only managed seven league games.
I have to admit, I was always a fan of Melbourne, his athleticism was excellent but he is definitely more of a left-back than a centre-half and with Cohen Bramall, Sean Roughan and Jamie Robson being contracted to the club, he seems unlikely to play in his desired position despite being on similar levels to all three for me.
Theo Archibald
The player our fans are hoping will get recalled in January, and it’s always a good sign when the loaning club (Leyton Orient) fans want him to stay. He has been in incredible form this season for Leyton Orient and has got four goals and six assists in twenty-one league fixtures.
He is still contracted until 2023, so it appears the move was to just get games rather than seek a permanent move away. If we struggle to bring someone in or move on one of current attackers, for example Hakeeb Adelakun on a similar loan move or if Anthony Scully moves on then we could recall him but we don’t want to bring him away from Leyton Orient, where he is playing regular ninety minutes, to just sit on the bench for the remainder of the season.