The rise of the ‘fake No.2 goalkeeper’: How EFL clubs are exploiting the emergency loan loophole to save budget

The Swansea City bench during an EFL Championship game
(Image credit: Getty)

Daniel Gyollai is a former Hungarian U21 goalkeeper. Now 26, he has just been released by National League side, Maidenhead United.

Ten years ago a promising career lay in front of him. He moved to England from Hungary and signed for then Premier League club Stoke City. He began playing for their U18 and U21 sides, all the while earning caps for Hungary’s international youth teams up to U21 level. In 2016 and 2017 he was loaned to local non league side Nantwich Town and played a total of eight games there. In 2018 Stoke were relegated to the Championship. At this stage, Daniel is 21 and hasn’t played a minute of senior football in the English Football League and has just two EFL Trophy games on his CV.

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Matthew Ketchell
Deputy Editor

Ketch joined FourFourTwo as Deputy Editor in 2022 having racked up appearances at Reach PLC as a Northern Football Editor and BBC Match of the Day magazine as their Digital Editor and Senior Writer. During that time he has interviewed the likes of Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, Gareth Southgate and attended World Cup and Champions League finals. He co-hosts a '90s football podcast called ‘Searching For Shineys’, is a Newcastle United season ticket holder and has an expensive passion for collecting classic football shirts.