The first half of the January transfer window has seen Arsenal try to take advantage of the transfer window in a much better way than they have previously done.
Starting off by immediately recalling Eddie Nketiah from Leeds, the Gunners took control and have done so in their decisions since. With Tyreece John-Jules, they ensured he went to a club that would start him regularly and in his preferred position as a No.9.
They have done the same with Emile Smith Rowe who has gone to Huddersfield Town to play primarily as a No.10/No.8. As for Eddie Nketiah, he is still likely to be loaned out despite Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's red card against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal's strong stance on loaning out their youngsters has also been mirrored by Mikel Arteta who wants his players to have as much clarity as possible.
"I always suggest when you go on loan, you speak to the manager and make sure he really wants you," he said when discussing how the club will decide where to send the pair," he said.
"He has to tell you exactly what he’s expecting from you. If he convinces you that it’s the right move for you, you have to go and prove yourself."
Tyreece John-Jules
The exciting 18-year-old's departure was only confirmed last Friday (January 10) but he has already made his debut for Lincoln City under Michael Appleton.
Handed the number nine shirt, he partnered Tyler Walker in The Imps 1-1 draw with Shrewsbury. John-Jules played 65 minutes of the game and showed promise in the first half by linking up with Walker on a few occasions the 23-year-old wasn't able to finish. Walker did find the back of the net from the spot, however.
"I think he’s got a good chance (to start games)," Arteta said .
"He needs to go and prove himself now, and he needs to challenge himself. He’s probably in a very comfortable environment here but he needs to get exposed and after that we’ll see where he is.
"He can do everything. He links really well on the ball every time he is out of the No9 position, he’s got a really good ability to do that."
Emile Smith Rowe
Smith Rowe's loan move was also confirmed on January 10 but he is yet to make his Huddersfield Town debut. The 19-year-old did travel with the Terriers as they lost 2-1 to Barnsley, however. They now sit 20th in the Championship.
Despite Huddersfield's league position being slightly disappointing, the benefit of Smith Rowe going there is the fact that he and manager Danny Cowley are on the same page.
"I spoke to Danny (Cowley) and he told me he'd like to play me as a No.10. or as (one of the) two No.8.s which are both my preferred positions. He's put a lot of faith in me and I can't wait to get started," he told Huddersfield's official YouTube channel .
"Huddersfield have a lot of great players and the 4-2-3-1 is a good formation for me to get in the No.10. position and I can't wait to meet the players and get training."
William Saliba
The French centre-back is still yet to return to action after cracking his fifth metatarsal during Saint-Etienne's Ligue 1 clash with Monaco in November.
He was initially ruled out for two months and has returned to training which will fill Arsenal fans with some renewed optimism but hasn't made a matchday squad since that game against Monaco.
At the start of the transfer window there were rumours that Arsenal were keen to recall Saliba but there have not been any developments on this.
"The great news is that outcomes are excellent with this kind of injury," injury rehabilitation and prevention expert Dr. Rajpal Brar said on his YouTube channel 3CB Performance when assessing the injury.
The rates of 'non-union', aka the crack not healing, are very low between 0.5% and 1% with no evidence showing increased risk of re-injury or negative impact on performance.
"If there is one concern, it's not the injury itself but rather the multiple chunks of time Saliba has missed this season. If he is back within the reported four weeks, he'll have missed 10 weeks total this season when you add the six weeks he missed early on due to his ankle injury and surgery."
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Despite an encouraging start to life in Rome with a goal on his debut, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has had rotten luck with injuries since.
After three games he tore an abductor muscle which kept him out until November before he struggled to reach proper match fitness. He Netted twice in December but started to begin games on the bench more regularly, most recently in the 2-0 loss to Torino on January 5.
Since then, the Armenian has picked up yet another injury, however, as a thigh strain is expected to keep him out until early February.
Mohamed Elneny
After being red-carded on his Besiktas debut, Mohamed Elneny has been key to Besiktas, forming a great partnership with Atiba Hutchinson in midfield.
While Elneny has played as the deeper midfielder, this has allowed Hutchinson to be more adventurous and claim four goals and three assists so far this season.
Elneny's side are currently fifth in the Turkish SuperLig but are just three points off second place and could mount a decent challenge for Champions League football after their two-week break.
Ben Sheaf
Like Elneny, Ben Sheaf has been getting regular game time in his loan spell with Doncaster Rovers in League One where he has currently amassed 21 appearances.
Known mostly as a defender while at Arsenal, the 21-year-old has been used more as a defensive midfielder at Doncaster. He has thrived in this role of late as he has helped the side keep four clean sheets in his last four games and shoot up to eighth in the table.
He has done a great job shielding his defence as he is averaging 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game to ensure his side aren't being overrun.
In eighth place, Doncaster sit just a point off the play off places and a further seven points off automatic promotion.
Dejan Iliev
On loan at SKF Sered, Dejan Iliev has played in all 18 of their league games this season but has conceded 26 goals. With his side only managing to score 17 goals for themselves, they are currently 10th in the league.
The Slovakian league is currently in their winter break so Iliev hasn't played since early December. The league will resume on February 15 when SKF Sered will host fourth placed MFK Ruzomberok.
