Gab Sutton Weekly: Three EFL loanees ready to make their mark

In his altest exclusive Odds Now column, EFL pundit Gab Sutton picks out three loanees, across the divisions, who could be in for big 2025-26 campaigns.

Divin Mubama - Stoke

There’s many reasons why Stoke have only suffered bottom half finishes since coming down from the Premier League in 2018, and one of them might be the absence of a quality centre-forward.

The Potters haven’t had a top goalscorer who has exceeded 13 league goals in those seven seasons, and it’s hard to think of many strikers who have excelled for them in general.

Divin Mubama is intent on changing that.

The Manchester City loanee won Young Player of the Year for West Ham in 2022-23, key to their FA Youth Cup winning side, and scored 10 goals in nine in the PL2 last season for his current employers, with their EDS.

So, Mubama is clearly more than ready for the challenge of senior football, even if starting in the Championship can be tricky.

The England youth prospect, though, got among the goals on the opening day, scoring a nice header back across to the far post, which could do wonders for his confidence in front of goal.

Meanwhile, he has all the raw ingredients one could look for in a centre-forward, with his pace and power likely to cause problems for opponents – Mubama could be in for a big season.

Damola Ajayi - Doncaster

Damola Ajayi might only have made one senior appearance in his career so far, but it featured a lovely strike from the bench in Tottenham’s 3-0 Europa League victory over IF Elfsborg in January – and he also made the bench in the final, as an unused substitute.

And, with Spurs having extended his contract to 2028 this year, the indications are that the North Londoners think a lot of Ajayi, and are open to monitoring his progress on loan with a view to bringing him into the first team if these spells go well, as opposed to this being more of a trial loan.

With that in mind, Ajayi could bring a different volume of quality to Doncaster, which we’ve seen evidence of from the bench in their first two league games, that he helped them to win, before he starred in the 4-0 thumping of Championship side Middlesbrough at the Riverside.

A key figure in Tottenham’s Under-17 and Under-18 Premier League Cup double-winning campaign in 2022-23, Ajayi also starred in the Under-21s’ PL2 title the following season.

With great balance and an unpredictable change of pace, the versatile forward looks set to demonstrate his talents in League One.

Tommi O’Reilly - Crewe

Never underestimate the value of the second-season loan.

Often, what happens when you have a prodigious talent at a Premier League club is they can get tonnes of interest in the first summer in which they’re available for loan, because clubs think they could be a game-changer.

Sometimes, though, the prospect struggles the first time around because they’re still acclimatizing to the professional environment and the physicality and tempo of senior football – not quite knowing what to expect.

And, when that happens, there tends to be significantly fewer takers the following summer, because clubs think they’re not as good as initially perceived.

However, it’s actually the player that’s had their first loan and had some challenges that’s more valuable, because they’ve still got exactly the same level as talent, but also a clearer idea of what to expect.

That could be the case with Tommi O’Reilly, who probably didn’t have the right fit at Shrewsbury last season, and came into an out-of-form MK Dons side.

Now, though, he should be better equipped to demonstrate his talents at Crewe, having been nicknamed ‘Little Foden’ at Aston Villa due to comparable playing style – balletic agility, magnetic close control, and a sharp eye for a pass.

Early on, the 21-year-old has earned plaudits for those qualities at Gresty Road, and has contributed to Lee Bell’s side enjoying a perfect start.