Player temporarily plays for another club. Common for young players + reserve squad members.
Definition: Player temporarily plays for another club. Common for young players + reserve squad members.
Loan deals send a player to another club temporarily (usually 6 months to 1 season). Parent club still owns them. Common reasons: young player gets first-team experience (often dropping a division), reserve player gets minutes elsewhere. Famous loan paths: Cesc Fabregas, Romelu Lukaku, Phil Foden development.