Kieffer, O'Hare, Mellon – the 24 latest EFL signings.

NTT20's Summer Transfer Bulletin brings you every signing in the EFL, in detail, in your inbox, every Monday and Thursday.

---

The Summer Transfer Bulletin is brought to you by Ali Maxwell, George Elek, Huw Davies, Sam Parry, Craig Bradley and Matt Watts. The introduction is by Matt Watts.

---

“Never fall in love with a loan player.”

We’ve all heard the expression but, sometimes, it’s easier said than done. Your fresh-faced loanee comes in from a richer, shinier club in a higher division and he hits the ground running. Before you know it, he’s got his own chant and he’s winning the club’s fan-led Player of the Month award. Your mate reminds you that said player even kissed the badge after scoring a last-minute winner on Tuesday night.

“Have we got a chance of keeping him?”

Well, yes, you do. Omari Hutchinson, Flynn Downes and Japhet Tanganga starred for Ipswich, Southampton and Millwall respectively in the Championship last season. They all now belong to those teams.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. If a loanee starts the season well, there is always a chance that their parent club will recall them in January to incorporate them into their first team, sell them for a tidy sum, or send them back out on loan to another club, possibly in a higher division or – worse still – to a sexier team in your own team’s division.

We need to face facts. In most cases, the season-long loan deal is a myth. It’s a six-month loan deal and then all parties will reassess the situation in January.

Let me be clear: I’m not saying you shouldn’t open your hearts to loan signings. You can’t let the fear of being hurt turn you into an evil stepmother/father-like figure on the terraces.

After all, loan moves can be incredibly difficult for young people. For some, the first loan move will be the first time they’ve truly lived away from home. They’re used to having their friends and family on their doorstep; now they’re four or five hours away. Some of them will have played for their parent club for as long as they can remember. Acclimatising to a new area, a new club and senior football all at the same time can be very challenging.

On Tuesday, two highly-rated young Crystal Palace goalkeepers went out on loan. Owen Goodman, who spent last season with Colchester, went to AFC Wimbledon. Clearly it’s nice and local, and Goodman mostly impressed in League Two last season, so you would like to think he’ll hit the ground running – but there are no guarantees.

Joe Whitworth, one of Palace’s hottest prospects, joined Exeter in League One. In addition to being a very talented young keeper, Whitworth is a well-rounded individual and Exeter have a fantastic record with both young players and on-loan goalkeepers – but this will nonetheless be Whitworth’s first real taste of senior football, and Exeter is a long way from Beckenham. Settling in can take a little time.

These young players (people) may not be yours to keep, nor even ‘one of your own’, but they’re wearing your badge and they need as much support as anyone else at your club.

When it comes to loan players, I think it really is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

In addition to a few loan moves, this bulletin includes a notable double swoop from Sheffield United, Burnley bringing in a Brazilian left-back, and Swansea recruiting one of the K-League’s hottest prospects. Exotic.

As always, thank you for subscribing to NTT20.com – and enjoy!

Championship

Jake Barrett (GK) - [Everton - Blackburn] - Free

Released by Everton, the 22-year-old goalkeeper lands at Blackburn. Rovers didn’t have a great time in nets last season, with Aynsley Pears and Leopold Wahlstedt splitting the minutes and neither truly convincing. Wahlstedt has left for Denmark, so Pears looks like the #1, while Barrett fights for a back-up spot with 24-year-old Joe Hilton (also once of Everton, last seen on loan at seventh-tier Macclesfield).

Barrett played one game for Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC in May on a somewhat random loan, during which he was otherwise second-choice.

---

Lucas Pires (LB) - [Santos - Burnley] - Undisclosed

If there was one position in Burnley’s squad of around 40 players (not an exaggeration) that lacked personnel, it was left-back: Owen Dodgson, on loan at Dundee last season, was the only left-footed option. Dodgson is now joined by Lucas Pires, who played in La Liga last season and picked up a relegation to add to his CV.

Typically Brazilian in flamboyance, Pires likes to back up attacks and be involved in build-up, offering himself as an overlap and providing dangerous crosses.

Andreas Hountondji (ST) - [Caen - Burnley] - Undisclosed