Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Daniel Orme

Arsenal loan report as youngsters shine and fringe players fight for futures

Arsenal have a total of 25 players out on loan this season with some having enjoyed slightly mixed fortunes.

A whole host of potential future Gunners stars have bid farewell to North London on a temporary basis to earn what could be crucial experience. Meanwhile, some first-team stars have also chosen to leave the club after falling down the pecking order under current boss Mikel Arteta.

Some elected to make a move last summer, whilst others secured loan switches just a couple of months ago.Take a comprehensive look at how all of the loanees have been getting on below:

Nicolas Pepe

Still Arsenal ’s record signing, the Ivorian winger flattered to deceive at the Emirates Stadium. He sealed a return to France last summer in an attempt to recapture his form.

Pepe has been in relatively good form this term with eight goals in all competitions for Nice. He has only just made a return from a knee injury so will be aiming to get back to his top form sooner rather than later.

Nuno Tavares

One of a number of Arsenal players to have made a move to France for a temporary spell, the Portuguese defender has been one of the standout players in Ligue 1 this season. He penned a loan deal with Marseille and has since scored six goals in 24 league appearances.

Nuno Tavares has shone for Marseille so far this season (Getty Images)

Does Nicolas Pepe have a future with Arsenal? Share your thoughts in the comments below

Albert Sambi Lokonga

Another of Arsenal’s 2021 summer transfer arrivals to have already left the club, the Belgian midfielder moved to Crystal Palace on-loan in January to play under Gunners icon Patrick Vieira. Things have not gone the way he would have hoped after the Frenchman was sacked.

Regarding Lokonga, he has made seven appearances for the Eagles, five of which have been starts

Folarin Balogun

Arguably the most impressive Arsenal loan player this season, the striker joined French side Reims on a temporary deal at the start of the season. The 21-year-old is challenging the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi at the top of the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts.

He already has 17 goals to his name this season and will be hopeful of receiving more opportunities next term.

Marquinhos

After joining Arsenal last summer, Arteta was always keen for the 19-year-old Brazilian to leave the club on-loan. He was allowed to join Norwich City and has made five appearances, notching two goal contributions since.

Marquinhos also has a red card to his name for an incident against Huddersfield, leaving Josh Ruffels bloodied after his challenge, although the red card was later rescinded.

"Nice to see a bit of blood," Huddersfield manager Neil Warnock quipped. "He’s all right, it was his head."

Ainsley Maitland-Niles

At the age of 25, the academy graduate finds himself at something of a crossroads in his career. He made a move to South Coast side Southampton ahead of the season and has made 20 appearances in their battle against relegation.

Only 11 of those appearances have been from the start though. He did however manage to notch an assist in the Saints’ 3-3 draw with Tottenham.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been in and out of the Southampton side this season (Getty Images)

Pablo Mari

Potentially the player to have had the most dramatic seasons among Arsenal’s loan group, the Spaniard penned a temporary deal with Italian side Monza. The 29-year-old has made 21 appearances since.

He had to spend a period on the sidelines during November though after being the victim of a shocking stabbing in an Italian shopping centre.

Cedric Soares

A rare case in the fact that the defender remains in the Premier League following a loan move to Fulham. Since arriving at Craven Cottage, he has made just one start - that coming in an FA Cup win over Leeds.

All of his other appearances have been substitute outings.

Auston Trusty

American international Auston Trusty has been a near ever-present for Birmingham City this season. He has made 40 appearances for the Midlands outfit this term and has managed to become a threat going forwards too, with four goals to his name throughout the season.

Charlie Patino

Potentially one of the most exciting players to come out of the Hale End Academy over recent years, 19-year-old Patino has already made his Arsenal debut. He also has a goal to his name having scored in a Carabao Cup quarter-final win against Sunderland.

Patino joined Championship side Blackpool last summer. He has been one of the standout players for the Tangerines with two goals and four assists since.

Charlie Patino continues to impress with Blackpool (Getty Images)

Runar Alex Runarsson

Previously Arsenal’s second choice keeper, it became clear very quickly that he was not up to the job quite yet. The 28-year-old moved to Turkish side Alanyaspor at the start of the campaign.

He has made 25 appearances in all competitions but has struggled by conceding 45 goals in all competitions. As a result, he has a paltry four clean sheets to his name.

Mazeed Ogungbo

The 20-year-old joined League Two side Crawley Town for his first taste of senior football at the start of the campaign. After struggling to earn a place in the first-team initially, he has started each of the last three games in a slightly unconventional left-back berth.

Marcelo Flores

Another making his first venture into senior football ahead of the 2022/23 season, the 19-year-old penned a loan deal with second tier side Real Oviedo. Things haven’t quite gone the way he will have wanted after just eight starts in all competitions since August.

Mika Biereth

A talented young forward, Biereth is another to have seen opportunities limited this term. Due to injury, he has made just ten appearances and scored only two goals throughout the campaign for RKC Waalwijk.

Miguel Azeez

Whilst a number of players have been granted their first experiences of men’s football, the same cannot quite be said of midfielder Azeez. He spent the first-half of the campaign with UD Ibiza before being recalled to join Wigan.

Since his arrival at the Championship side, he has made just two appearances and has not even made the squad in any of the last ten league games.

Miguel Azeez is currently with Wigan Athletic (Getty Images)

Omar Rekik

Sticking with Wigan, 21-year-old defender Rekik is also with the club. In fact, he is another to have seen a prior loan spell cut short.

He struggled for games with Sparta Rotterdam and has made just four appearances for Wigan since.

Tom Smith

Following a stint with Bromley, young goalkeeper Smith stepped up a division with a switch to Colchester in January. He has yet to make an appearance for the club though.

Tim Akinola

The young midfielder is another granted experience within the lower leagues of English football. He has made 28 appearances for Chesterfield throughout the campaign but less than half of those have been starts.

Nikolaj Moller

Swedish youngster Moller moved to Den Bosch at the start of the campaign and has made 16 appearances throughout the campaign. He has not quite been able to score as many goals as he will have wanted after scoring just three goals.

Ryan Alebiosu

Following a short stint with Crewe Alexandra last season, the young defender moved north of the border at the start of the campaign with a switch to Kilmarnock.

The 21-year-old has certainly added to his experience having made 27 appearances for the Scottish side this season.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

After a standout spell with Lincoln City last term, the young defender has made two Championship loan switches this term. He started the campaign with Rotherham and was then sent out on-loan to Coventry.

He has been in and out of the side since then and will be hopeful of making a mark in the Premier League next term, whether that be with the Gunners or another loan club.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy is currently in the midst of his second loan spell of the season (Getty Images)

Tyreece John-Jules

After a promising start to the season where he scored three goals before the end of October for Ipswich Town, the promising striker has seen his campaign hugely disrupted through injury.

A hamstring problem has kept him on the sidelines since November and is yet to make his return to action.

Alex Kirk

Young centre-back Kirk also moved to Scotland with a move to Championship side Ayr United. The 20-year-old has been first choice with 24 appearances and has managed to score two goals.

Arthur Okonkwo

After showing his promise in the Arsenal youth ranks, 21-year-old goalkeeper Okonkwo has had a number of opportunities this term. He spent the first-half of the season on-loan with Crewe Alexandra, making 26 appearances in all competitions before moving to Austrian side Sturm Graz where is is first choice.

Ovie Ejeheri

Arguably the player to have ventured further than most, the Greenwich-born goalkeeper completed a move to Finnish side SJK Seinajoki. He has since made four starts for the side but is yet to keep a clean sheet.

He had spent the first-half of the campaign with Chelmsford City.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.