Throughout the campaign, 16 young Blues went out on various loan spells across England and Europe, gaining valuable senior experience as they all continue to chase their dream of playing senior football.
From a major milestone of completing a first loan to scoring a first senior goal to lifting silverware, here is a short summary of all the loan spells for our Academy players…
Emilio Lawrence – Luton Town
For a first stint in senior football, Lawrence completed the 2025/26 season helping Luton lift the EFL Trophy.
The 20-year-old winger joined the League One outfit in January and went on to play 21 games across the league and cup competition and totalled two goals and six assists.
His standout performance saw the Scotland youth international score Luton’s first goal in their 3-1 EFL Trophy final triumph over Stockport County at Wembley.
Lakyle Samuel – Bromley
Also a first loan spell for Samuel, the 20-year-old full-back joined Bromley on a season-long loan.
Samuel made six League Two appearances as Bromley went on to secure first place and as a result promotion to League One in what was an incredible environment for Samuel to learn and develop in throughout the campaign.
Divine Mukasa – Leicester
After an impressive start to 2025/26 with the EDS, which also included six first-team appearances following his debut in the Carabao Cup, Mukasa joined Leicester on loan in January to continue to develop in a senior setting.
The 18-year-old England youth international scored two and assisted three goals in his 15 Championship appearances in which he featured as a central attacking midfielder.
Sverre Nypan – Middlesbrough
After joining City in July from Rosenborg, the then 18-year-old midfielder joined Championship side Middlesbrough on loan for the 2025/26 season.
The young Norway international showcased his versatility in midfield for Boro as well as his ability to read play and help initiate attacks in his 20 league appearances.
To help further develop his taste for English football, Nypan returned to City in February and completed the campaign as a key figure in Ben Wilkinson’s PL2 outfit.
He made 11 appearances for the EDS and scored five goals, showcasing another level to his game as a number 10.
Finley Burns – Reading
22-year-old centre-back Burns joined Reading on a season-long loan for the 2025/26 season.
Using experience from his three prior loan spells, Burns was a regular in The Royals’ back line with 32 League One appearances, helping them to a 12th-place finish.
Max Alleyne – Watford
After playing an integral role in City’s 2024/25 PL2 title triumph, Alleyne joined Championship outfit Watford on a season-long loan.
The 20-year-old quickly impressed at centre-back and went on to have 16 league appearances for the Hornets, with his final seven unbeaten before being recalled to City after injuries to a handful of first-team players.
Alleyne went on the spend the rest of the campaign as part of Pep Guardiola’s squad, making seven appearances for the Blues as we completed the cup double.
Stephen Mfuni – Watford
After an eye-catching start to 2025/26 for Ben Wilkinson’s EDS, which included making his senior debut for Pep Guardiola in the FA Cup, the 18-year-old defender was provided the opportunity to experience senior football on a regular basis for the latter half of the campaign.
He joined Championship outfit Watford in January and quickly impressed the Hornets with his strength, composure, hard work and eye for a tackle.
Mfuni made eight league appearances before an unfortunate injury saw the curtain fall early on his season but will undoubtedly be excited to continue his development in 2026/27.
Oliver Whatmuff – Rochdale
It’s been a season he will probably never forget for goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff who was at the heart of Rochdale’s promotion to the EFL.
17 years old at the time, Whatmuff joined National League outfit Rochdale on a season-long loan.
And since the opening day of the 2025/26 campaign, the England youth international kept 17 clean sheets to take the title race against York to the final day of the season.
And the top two teams also faced each other in that last game with drama seeing Dale go 1-0 up deep into added time in what they thought won them the trophy. But a response from York saw the game end 1-1 and Rochdale into the play-offs.
In the final at Wembley, Dale staged an emphatic comeback from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 after extra-time against Boreham Wood. Whatmuff saved two penalties in the shootout to see Rochdale named Play-off champions.
You can also watch Whatmuff’s dramatic loan spell in our Life on Loan episode, click below to watch!
Josh Wilson-Esbrand – Radomiak Radom
23-year-old full-back Wilson-Esbrand signed a season-long loan with Polish league outfit Radomiak Radom.
He made eight appearances in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa before injuries kept him in and out of the squad.
Tomas Galvez – Cambuur
After an initial loan spell at Cambuur in the latter stages of 2024/25, the Finland youth international rejoined the Dutch outfit for 2025/26.
In the second-tier Dutch league, the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, Galvez made 36 appearances and helped Cambuur place second in the table and secure automatic promotion to the Eredivisie, an incredible achievement for the 21-year-old.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey – Celtic/FC Koln
After guiding City to PL2 glory and named PL2 Player of the Season in 2024/25, Simpson-Pusey then looked for senior experience in the shape of a loan to Scottish Premiership outfit Celtic.
After just two appearances for The Bhoys, Simpson-Pusey made the switch to Germany, joining Bundesliga outfit FC Koln in January for the remainder of the campaign.
The 20-year-old centre-back went on to make 11 appearances, playing against some of the best players in Europe that will have undoubtedly be a great learning opportunity for the aspiring England youth international.
Isaac Smith – Barnsley
After making his return from a long-term injury in October, centre-back Smith joined Barnsley on loan in January, helping them to a 12th-place finish in the Premier League Professional Development League.
Jaden Heskey - Sheffield Wednesday
Jaden began the season captaining City’s EDS, a formidable force in the heart of our engine room in the PL2.
And similar to Mfuni, after making his senior City debut in our Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield, Heskey spent the second half of the season developing his craft in senior football.
Heskey signed for Championship side Sheffield Wednesday which provided the midfielder a unique opportunity to learn across his 20 league appearances in which he played almost every minute.
Luca Fletcher - Ipswich
After two seasons developing with the Under-18s, Fletcher joined Ipswich Town on loan, and looked to gain minutes for the Tractor Boys in the Premier League 2.
The 19-year-old went on to total 16 league appearances for Ipswich in their debut campaign in the competition, scoring six goals and assisted two in the process, with the striker helping them to a fifth-place finish in the League Phase before their exit in the PL2 Play-off Round of 16.
Divin Mubama – Stoke
Striker Divin Mubama joined Championship side Stoke City on a season-long loan, and quickly made himself at home in the number nine shirt, scoring on his league debut which saw Stoke beat Derby 3-1.
The striker got his first senior hat-trick in Stoke’s 5-1 win over Bristol City as he continued to be a key figure for the Potters.
The England youth international tallied an impressive amount of minutes across his 26 Championship appearances before an injury sidelined him for almost the entirety of the latter half of the season.
Joel Ndala - Hull/Sheffield Wednesday
20-year-old winger Ndala spent the first half the season on loan at Hull where he made 19 appearances across all competitions.
A change in scenery saw him switch the Tigers for the Owls in January when he joined Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday for the final months of 2025/26.
The versatile forward featured mostly on the left wing for the remainder of the campaign as he gained a further eight league appearances in a season full of senior minutes to help his development.
