Caulker to Liverpool, Pato to Chelsea: 15 of the strangest loan signings in football history

In an age of football that is dominated by jaw-dropping transfer fees and contracts that can set somebody for life, finding value for money in transfers can be difficult.

Permanent signings can make or break seasons for clubs, in some cases, make or break clubs full stop. That’s where loan signings come in handy. Or should, in most cases.

The loan system gives clubs a chance to find a more temporary solution to issues within their squad and has proven vital to those at the top of a league, just as much as those at the bottom. Injuries can strike or flat spots can appear within a squad, and if no permanent solution is available just yet, a loan can do the job.

However, the loan pool isn’t always full of football’s most premier names, meaning things can get really weird.

Forgotten heroes and fringe players galore, GIVEMESPORT has compiled a list of the 15 weirdest loan spells to occur.

Having fallen down the pecking order at City during the 2010/11 season, Adebayor sought a mid-season move away in order to play some more regular football. Of course, the natural next step for the fringe striker who had been struggling for goals was Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho brought Adebayor to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he bagged eight times and won a La Liga winners medal.

Holt signed for Wigan in the summer of 2013, but after struggling to find goals in the Championship, was available for loan the following January. Aston Villa decided to bring him back up to the top flight in a desperate bid to avoid relegation. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t the man to help them achieve that.

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One of the pieces of the jigsaw in Mark Hughes’ infamous ‘Stoke-a-lona’ project, Jese swapped Paris for Potters in the summer of