Patrick Van Aanholt on loan at Coventry

[EskWeston 696]

Promising Dutch Left back(/centre back) Patrick Van Aanholt has gone on loan to Coventry until December 31st. Patrick had a very good season for the reserves last season, being probably the best player overall. A loan move is perfect for him at this point and i don't see a problem with him getting minutes there because he is a very good player. Left back is his best role where he looks the most comfortable so i hope that is where he will get the games.

The loan moves arranged by CFC so far have all been very good moves for the players concerned, and hopefully they will be of huge benefit for those players.

Edited August 11, 2009 by EskWeston

[EskWeston 696]

Reserve team defender Patrick van Aanholt has today joined Coventry City on loan until 31 December. It is the Dutch Under 19's first temporary move since arriving from PSV Eindhoven in 2007, having appeared 27 times for the reserves so far, as well as being a key member of the Youth Cup run in 2007/08.

The 18-year-old is still awaiting his first team debut.

Source: Chelsea FC

[Stamford 3]

He looked promising to me during the few reserve games I saw. As you say Esk, a loan is perfect for him to show his metal at this stage of his career.

[EskWeston 696]

He looked promising to me during the few reserve games I saw. As you say Esk, a loan is perfect for him to show his metal at this stage of his career.

You can see now what our academy is producing. We will have more players out on loan than ever before. There are still some obvious candidates for loans, Hutchinson, Nana-Ofori, Cork, Bridcutt, Mellis possibly Mancienne.

Back to Van Aanholt though, from what he has shown since he has come he is a very solid player and moved up levels very quickly. Has looked less comfortable at centre back so i think left back is where he is going to play. Physically he is strong and he can get forward very well, which is what we like to see our full backs do. And he can put the odd goal away too.....

Left back is a very hard position to fill, and we are producing some good ones of our own. Bertrand is very highly thought of, Van Aanholt is looking top quality also and right behind him is Ben Gordon who will now be regular left back for the reserves this season.

[NattyBlue 44]

glad he's gone out on loan at this young age as someone said earlier it shows his mental stage of his career at this time! gonna be following his results as I usually do with loaned players!

[Kez 2,727]

I'll keep my eye on him

[warnie_666 1,081]

So, is as good as Bertand...?

[EskWeston 696]

So, is as good as Bertand...?

Hard to tell as Bertrand is a lot further ahead in development. But Van Aanholt certainly seems to be as good as Bertrand, we will find a lot out about Van Aanholt from this loan move. Personally i think Van Aanholt could be better than Bertrand if he continues to develop on this loan spell

[Kez 2,727]

He's starting today and the games on sky.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Was absolutely brilliant today.

[Kez 2,727]

He was even if Cov were wobbly as usual. Great win for them he seemed to get better as the game went on.

[EskWeston 696]

He did good to be fair to him, first game on loan is never easy.... he looked a little nervous but he dealt with it well. He will get better the more games he gets and that is very encouraging considering the performance he put in today.

[Cameron 30]

He did good to be fair to him, first game on loan is never easy.... he looked a little nervous but he dealt with it well. He will get better the more games he gets and that is very encouraging considering the performance he put in today.

Nervous? He was still doing his tricks in the opposition half in the 93rd minute!

[EskWeston 696]

Nervous? He was still doing his tricks in the opposition half in the 93rd minute!

Yes he was, but defensively at times he looked a little nervous, which is only to be expected and is by no means anything negative against him......

The first thing these players on loan have to do and that is to earn their right to be playing in every game, Van Aanholt certainly did that in this game.

[EskWeston 696]

CLINTON MORRISON – never a man to err on the side of understatement – hailed Patrick van Aanholt as “the next Ashley Cole” after Sunday’s thrilling 2-1 victory against Ipswich Town. And the Ricoh regulars who savoured his performance can certainly testify that the Dutch teenager has a lot more in common with the England international than the brace of king-sized diamonds weighing down his earlobes.

Whether it was the confidence of youth or that fabled Netherlands nonchalance, he turned in an astonishingly self-assured performance against one of the most physically impressive outfits in the Championship.

He looked particularly impressive pushing forward, and although he carried the can for the break-away goal that halved the advantage earned by Morrison’s superb double, his speed, anticipation and composure proved invaluable at the height of the visitors’ second-half assault.

Although van Aanholt won’t face Hartlepool tomorrow night because Chelsea don’t want him cup-tied, he is a Coventry asset until December 31 when he will return to Stamford Bridge to stake his claims as Cole’s long-term successor.

And he is relishing the opportunity to broaden his football education with Coventry, and delighted to get off to such a pleasing start.

“I’m very happy with the debut,” he said.

“It was a good win and a great performance.

“We did well as a team in the first-half and although we could have played better in the second half, we defended like a team, played like a team and so we won like a team.

“For myself I think I did all right. I could have been a little bit better with defending but I was OK attacking – I think I played a good game.

“I found the pace was a bit different to what I am used to. In the reserves, we always play from the back but this was about picking up the second ball and playing it from there.”

The youngster’s impact should certainly go some way towards appeasing fans frustrated by Danny Fox’s big-money move to Celtic, but the loan deal was a last-minute affair agreed between City boss Chris Coleman and Chelsea’s sporting director Frank Arnesen,

“It was a very busy week for me,” explained van Aanholt, who moved into a Leamington flat with his father and younger brother this week.

“Coventry called on Monday but I wasn’t sure because I was already talking to QPR.

"But they called on Wednesday and they kept changing their mind, so I wanted to come to Coventry. I’m still getting used to the team, but I know all of the players’ names now and I’m sure I will know them better with time.

“They didn’t just help me out during the game, when I arrived they helped and they made me feel welcome so I’m happy about that.”

Source: Coventry Telegraph

[EskWeston 696]

I found the section highlighted very interesting. I wouldn't have thought that Van Aanholt would have had the oppertunity to play CC football for us this season, unless the club are being extremely cautious incase both Cole and Zhirkov get injured.

[Clevemayer 764]

it seems like he is a big hit at coventry, has played his last game and was rated high on skysports by the fans...

its too early to say something, but it seems like hes really gonna be like ash... I hope so, cause in 5 Years he'll be 33, and than Aanholt would be 22, great replacement...

[EskWeston 696]

it seems like he is a big hit at coventry, has played his last game and was rated high on skysports by the fans...

its too early to say something, but it seems like hes really gonna be like ash... I hope so, cause in 5 Years he'll be 33, and than Aanholt would be 22, great replacement...

Van Aanholt needs to keep this level for the whole season, he is certainly doing very well indeed. If we can get him into a Premier League club next season that would be really quick progression for him. With Ryan Bertrand, Patrick Van Aanholt and Ben Gordon we are producing some very good left backs indeed.