Our weekly look at how West Ham United’s loanees fared for their Clubs at home and across Europe...
Defender Thilo Kehrer played 90 minutes for AS Monaco as they booked their UEFA Champions League return with a 2-0 win away at Montpellier HSC.
The Principality club needed just one point to secure their return to Europe’s elite competition for the first time since 2018/19, with second half goals from Kassoum Ouattara and Youssouf Fofana securing second place in Ligue 1.
𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗗𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥 🇪🇺🔙
@ChampionsLeague, HERE WE COME 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tcIr0v5eA5— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) May 12, 2024
Elsewhere in Ligue 1, Saïd Benrahma was an unused substitute as Olympique Lyonnais continued their late-season surge with a 1-0 victory at relegated Clermont Foot.
After 19 matchweeks at the end of January, Lyon were in the relegation zone in 16th place. They have won eleven of 14 league matches since then to rise to seventh, and could snatch a UEFA Europa Conference League place if they better RC Lens' result on the final day of the season.
Flynn Downes, who is West Ham United’s only remaining loanee in England for the 2023/24 season, featured for 90 minutes for Southampton, as they played out a stalemate in the first leg of their EFL Championship Play-Off semi-final with West Bromwich Albion.
Russell Martin’s side will welcome the Baggies to St Mary’s on Friday for the second leg, with the winner set to face either Norwich City or Leeds United, who also both drew 0-0 yesterday afternoon.
In Denmark, Nathan Trott’s Vejle BK registered another eye-catching win in their quest to avoid relegation from the SuperLiga, defeating West Ham's one-time Europa Conference League opponents Viborg 2-1. away from home.
Musa Juwara opened the scoring for Vejle after eight minutes, only for Isak Jensen to restore parity four minutes before half time. However, German Onugka found the winner on 66 minutes, finding the net for the fifth consecutive game to pull the visitors four points clear of eleventh-placed Odense BK.
Next up for Vejle is a home clash against Lyngby on Wednesday evening. A win for Trott’s loan side would see them overtake their opponents and move up to ninth in the table.
Lastly, Krisztián Hegyi and FC Den Bosch suffered defeat on the final day of the Eerste Divisie season, losing 2-0 against FC Eindhoven. Joey Sleegers put the hosts ahead after 51 minutes, before substitute Ozan Kokcu sealed victory late on.
Despite defeat and Den Bosch’s position of 19th place in the 20-team table, it has been an outstanding campaign for young Hungarian goalkeeper Hegyi.
Since joining the Dutch club in January, the 21-year-old has conceded just 27 league goals in 17 games, keeping six clean sheets. Prior to that, Den Bosch had let in 41 goals in 21 matches and kept just two clean sheets.
