As is always the case in the world of Tottenham Hotspur, there are plenty of ups and downs over the course of a season. That was very much the case for a number of the squad who departed N17 at various points in the season and played their football elsewhere.
Seeing the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Troy Parrott and Kion Etete head out on loan in the summer, first-team squad members Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil departed in January with Antonio Conte making some key changes to his squad. Not always having the best of luck in terms of picking the perfect loan team for their players in the past previously, it was another mixed year for those who left Spurs on a temporary basis.
So who were the winners and losers from Tottenham's loan army? football.london takes a look.
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Winners
Giovani Lo Celso
In and out the Tottenham team in the first few months of the campaign, Conte elected to part with Lo Celso in January as he headed to La Liga side Villarreal. Making a real name for himself at Real Betis prior to his Tottenham move in 2019, the return to Spain looked to be just what the Argentina international needed to help him rediscover his form.
Lo Celso did exactly that at Villarreal, playing a major role in their run to the Champions League semi-finals where they were knocked out of the competition by Liverpool. Having a big part to play in dumping Juventus and Bayern Munich out of Europe's premier competition along the way, it's no surprise to see why the Yellow Submarines want to sign him on a permanent basis this summer.
Lo Celso's Villarreal loan success means that Spurs won't be short of options at all if he is to move on for good over the coming weeks.
Bryan Gil
Playing time was always going to be hard to come by for Gil in the first few months of his Tottenham career as he looked to get up to speed with the pace and intensity of the Premier League. Although he was given minutes here and there off the bench by Conte at the start of 2022, it was decided that he could head out on loan at the end of the January transfer window.
Returning to Spain with Valencia, the 21-year-old had a huge impact at the Mestalla and it wasn't long before the home faithful were calling for him to stay for good. Gil may only have registered one assist from 17 games but he produced some big performances in his short time at the club, notably helping them reach the Copa del Rey final.
Cameron Carter-Vickers
Carter-Vickers exited Tottenham on loan for the seventh time as he linked up with Celtic on the final day of the summer transfer window. A regular in Ange Postecoglou's team, the 24-year-old made 45 appearances in all competitions and helped Celtic win the league title and the Scottish League Cup in a hugely successful loan spell.
Also making it into the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, Celtic now have the opportunity to make his loan move permanent, which football.london understands is around £6million up front with potential add-ons that could make it £10million in all eventually. Catching the eye in his previous loan spells at Luton Town and Bournemouth, this was undoubtedly the player's best season to date in his career so far.
Troy Parrott
The 2021/22 campaign was always going to be a big one for Parrott after a frustrating time on loan at Millwall and Ipswich Town the previous season. Starting the term on fire with two goals from his first three games, the Republic of Ireland hit a further two before going through a barren period between the end of October and the start of March.
His double against Cheltenham Town spurred him on to finish the season incredibly strongly with a further four goals for MK Dons and a last-minute winner for his country against Lithuania. As well as hitting ten goals and seven assists in 47 games for the Buckinghamshire club, Parrott excelled in other areas of his game and often drew praise from boss Liam Manning.
The Championship should be the striker's next port of call if he heads out on loan again from Tottenham this summer.
Honourable mentions: Jack Clarke finished the season strongly and recaptured his best form in a successful final few months for Sunderland as they returned to the Championship after winning the play-off final. Kion Etete also had a successful year and chipped in with six goals and two assists for League Two side Northampton Town before moving up a division and scoring three times for Cheltenham Town.
Losers
Tanguy Ndombele
Amid plenty of uncertainty over his future last summer, Ndombele was restored to the Tottenham XI by Nuno Espirito Santo once the transfer window closed for business. The appointment of Conte saw his game time drop and he was moved on at the end of January as he returned to former club Lyon on loan.
Despite a decent start to his time back in Ligue 1, Ndombele found himself in and out of the team towards the end of his spell at the Groupama Stadium and only started in seven of his 11 league games. Not exactly setting the world on fire and with Lyon not wanting to make his move permanent, there are big question marks over what comes next for the French international.
Whereas Lo Celso took his chance and will have plenty of clubs interested in his services, Spurs will struggle to move on Ndombele permanently unless they decide to sell for a cut-price fee. Another loan deal may be on the cards for the player unless he can somehow change Conte's thinking and force his way into his plans.
Pape Matar Sarr
Staying in France, Sarr endured a rather frustrating time back on loan at Metz. Signed from the French club at the end of the summer window, it was decided that the 19-year-old should return to Les Grenats for the season to help in his development.
A regular in the starting XI to begin with as he played in a variety of different positions across midfield, the Senegal international soon found himself in and out of the team from October onwards and that continued right until the end of the campaign. Starting 22 of his 33 appearances in Ligue 1, Sarr, who was part of the Senegal squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations, couldn't help Metz keep their place in the top flight as they went down after finishing 19th.
Nile John
Heading to Charlton Athletic in January to get some vital first-team experience under his belt, John's loan move to the League One club didn't go to plan at all. The 19-year-old failed to make a single appearance for the Addicks and was an unused substitute on five occasions.
All at Tottenham will be hoping for a much better loan spell next term if the youngster is loaned out again.
