Arsenal Loanee Midseason Roundup – A Deep Dive

While most reports about the transfer window shutting are about the incomings, I feel it’s also worthwhile to take a look at Arsenal’s players who are spending the rest of the season away from the club. Today we’ll take a look at the players who are either members of the Arsenal first team squad or youth players who have a genuine chance at being a part of the first team next season.

First Teamers

• Folarin Balogun – This has to be one of the most successful loans in the history of the club. After yesterday’s hat trick, Balogun is now the leading scorer in Ligue 1 ahead of the likes of PSG’s Mbappe, Neymar and Messi as well as Jonathan David of Lille and former Arsenal striker Alex Lacazette of Lyon. What he’s doing for Reims is incredible and beyond our wildest dreams for his time in France, but the big question is what to do with him after this season. One thing Arsenal has historically struggled with is when to keep vs. sell a player. Big clubs are sniffing around the 21 year old and one has to wonder if this is the time to cash in while his stock is sky high. Next season he would be the third striker behind Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. We’re going to have more high level games between the Premier League and the Champions League, so there’s something to be said about having three legitimate top level strikers. It’s a great problem to have to answer the aforementioned question. Personally I’d keep him, but time will tell. Let’s see what happens.
• Nuno Tavares – Nuno is also having a great year in France, where it seems Marseille are again a solid landing spot for an Arsenal loanee after William Saliba’s successful time there last campaign. While deemed a left back at Arsenal, he has played the majority of his football for Marseille in more of a left winger position. In 22 appearances this season, he’s played there 18 times, while playing 3 times at LB and 1 time at RW. Nuno seems a player whose style won’t fit Arteta’s system. I would look for him to be sold at a profit of the €8 million we paid for him.
• Albert Sami Lokonga – As I’ve written about previously, this is a crucial period for Sambi. With Arsenal now out of both the FA Cup and League Cup, it was incredibly unlikely he would get any significant minutes the rest of the season. It’s clear he doesn’t have the trust of the manager and is not handling the situation well. He’s a young player with a ton of potential, so hopefully his time at Crystal Palace is a chance to jumpstart his Arsenal career. He’s been managed by a top central midfielder in Arteta and is now going to be managed by the central midfield legend that is Patrick Vieira. If after time under those two managers you don’t improve, it probably says a lot about his future. Let’s hope he does well and we can at least be in a position to recoup our investment, or even better play a role in the midfield next season.
• Cedric Soares – He’ll love the opportunity to put crosses into Mitrovic. A player Arsenal never should’ve signed during the horrible Kia era at the club. A shame he won’t be able to crash the celebration photos. Glad his wages are off the books. Wish him well, seems a good guy, but he really needs to move on.
• Pablo Mari – It’s very clear Arteta needs a left footed player in the LCB role, hence why Gabriel has played nearly 60 straight times in that position for Arsenal. A major reason for that Gabriel statistic is that Pablo Mari simply isn’t good enough for Arsenal. Seems to do well in Italian football between the loan at Udinese and was off to a good start at Monza before a terrifying incident where he was stabbed in a random attack. Football takes a necessary backseat to something like that and thankfully he seems to be recovering. Hopefully he is back on the pitch soon and can continue with his career ahead of a sale in the summer
• Ainsley Maitland-Niles – As I mentioned in the bit about Balogun, one thing Arsenal has historically struggled with is when to keep vs. sell a player. AMN is the definition of this, as we had chances to sell him for £‎15 million -£20 million to other clubs in England. Now, we’d be lucky to get £‎5 million for him despite the typical English player tax. Another who will surely exit the club in the summer. Unsure if that’s a contract expiration or a one year trigger and a small sale, but it’s clear his Arsenal race is run. A shame, as he had a chance to make the right back position his. His dreams and insistence on playing central midfield have likely crushed his career at the top level. Hopefully he can jumpstart his career elsewhere. It’s not an issue of talent, that’s for sure.
• Nicolas Pepe – Another player having a great season in France. He’s done really well for Nice, where it seems the style/speed of play suits him much more than the English Premier League. The natural talent of Pepe has always been there, but his style just hasn’t suited Arsenal and likely England as a whole. He’s a player who will unfortunately always be judged by the £‎72 million fee, which the club come nowhere near being able to recoup. Without going off topic, that fee is very sketchy for a number of reported reasons you can google at your own leisure, but it’s always put an added dose of pressure and expectation on a player that probably didn’t deserve it. He is always capable of a moment of magic, but rather than keep him as competition for Saka at a time where we were short of wingers and trying to make things happen in the market, we chose to send him away. That should say it all. Trossard was handed his #19 shirt. Another who will likely move in the summer, but for much less than we spent.
• Marquinhos – I couldn’t decide if Marquinhos should be in the first team section or the youth player section, but he is technically a first teamer so here we are. This is a player with great potential, but is nowhere near ready to play for Arsenal’s first team. Had we been able to secure a winger in the summer window he would have surely gone out on loan earlier, but instead spent 6 months in London adapting to the team, the style of play, the culture and a new language. Not the worst thing in the world by any means. Now that Trossard came in and with Jesus, ESR and Nelson all back soon it means he can go off to Norwich. It will be exciting to see what he can do for a Norwich side that are in the thick of the Championship playoff places, currently sitting just outside in seventh place. He’s a big guy and is used to the physical play of Brazil, so I think he’ll compete well in the Championship unlike some lighter weighted young players might. One to watch. Hopefully he can take a step and earn a place back with the Arsenal first team next season. Could also see him going on a Premier League loan should Arsenal land enough targets who are more ready. Either way, a positive move.
• Alex Runarsson – Only mentioning him because he’s a first team player, but he has no future at Arsenal and was a horrible transfer from a terrible recommendation by an Arsenal assistant coach.
• Arthur Okonkwo – Okonkwo has shown some real flashes of talent at Arsenal and continued his fine form in the first half of the season with Crewe Alexandra of England’s League One. He made 26 appearances and kept 10 clean sheets while impressing along the way. Arsenal decided to recall him this January and send him to Sturm Graz, who sit second in the Austrian League behind Red Bull Salzburg. The thought process, it seems, was to have him play at an even higher level in Austria than he was in England. Okonkwo is only 21 years old, which is incredibly young for a goalkeeper. Could he have stayed at Arsenal and been the third keeper? Sure, but it’s more valuable that he plays first team football elsewhere. The third string keeper is a tough spot, as it’s either got to be a veteran on the cheap or a young player who can still play games at the reserve/academy level. Okonkwo is too good at this point to be playing at that reserve/academy level, so Arsenal have made the sensible move. One for the future.

Youth Players

• Auston Trusty – Trusty raised some eyebrows with his transfer to Arsenal. He wasn’t very well known in MLS and candidly came across as more of a PR stunt given the Kroenke’s ownership of his club side, Colorado Rapids. With that said, that thought was clearly not the reality. He has been outstanding for his loan side, Birmingham City, and quickly become a fan favorite as well as putting himself in the picture for a call-up to the US Men’s National Team. A 6’3″ left-footed Center Back, he has played every single minute of Birmingham City’s season. In total, he has made 32 appearances and even contributed 3 goals and 1 assist along the way. A brick wall in defense, the Birmingham City supporters have frequently chanted “USA!” in support of the American. The signing of Jakub Kiwior will certainly put a major dent in his chances at joining the first team next season, but he is definitely one to watch for the future. At the very least, he could be a tidy piece of business for the club.
• Charlie Patino – Patino has been a major part of Blackpool’s success this season. Billed as a major prospect during his time in the Arsenal youth teams, he has lived up to the hype thus far. He has operated in both the 6 and the 8 roles for Blackpool, where he has been immense both on and off the ball. On January 7th is was noted by the Athletic that no English teenager has made more interceptions in Europe this season than Charlie Patino (27). He also sits just one behind Jude Bellingham on goal involvements (4). Those are some serious statistics that suggest we have a real player on our hands. Many will hope he gets a chance back at Arsenal next season. Let’s see.
• Brooke Norton-Cuffy – Norton-Cuffy is another Arsenal youth player who have climbed into the first team picture rather quickly. Following a hugely successful loan spell with Lincoln City during the second half of last season, he was then loaned to Rotherham of England’s League One this summer. Despite making 21 appearances, Arsenal decided to recall Norton-Cuffy and subsequently loan him to another League One side in Coventry City. He’s only just turned 19 in mid-January, but has shown that he has a bright future. As Arsene Wenger once said, “You pay for the education of young players with points. If I play a 20-year old centerback, I know he’ll cost me points during the season and I have to stand up for that. A less talented 28 year old would cost me less points. However, by 23/24 you have a player.” While Norton-Cuffy could be a legitimate option for the first team next season, I think it’s more likely he continues on loan with a higher level team in the Championship or a team abroad. The other interesting element of his time on loan this season is that he hasn’t been primarily featuring in defense, but rather at right mid. Something to watch, but it’s clear we have a talent on our hands.
• Miguel Azeez – Once considered a huge player for the future at Arsenal, Azeez has had a tougher time these last few seasons. There’s clearly talent there, but it’s not going to be easy for him to break into the Arsenal first team. Maybe the Arsenal of a few years ago it would have been possible, but I don’t see it happening with the way we are trending. Hopefully he can have a successful second half of the season with Wigan, where he’s now joined after a spell with Ibiza the first half of the season. A consistent run of games will do him a world of good and give Arteta a clearer view of what Azeez’s future will be. Good luck to him.
• Marcelo Flores – Flores is big prospect. At only 19 years of age, he has already made three senior appearances for the Mexican National Team. Flores has made 14 appearances this season with Real Oviedo of La Liga 2 – 12 in the league and 2 in the Copa del Rey. While he’s played primarily as a left winger, he has also made appearances on the right wing, in attacking midfield and as a second striker. Clearly he is a versatile talent and it’s great to see he has made the squad every match day except one. Concerningly, he has not made an appearance since playing 61 minutes against Eibar on December 11th. He didn’t make the squad for their match on 12/17 and has been an unused substitute in their four matches since. It’s not surprising to see this happen to a young player and hopefully it’s an experience he can fight through and learn from. I’d expect him to be a part of pre-season, but another loan seems much more likely than a role with the first team next season.
• Nathan Butler-Oyedeji – Butler-Oyedeji has burst onto the scene during the first half of the season with the reserves at Arsenal, specifically in the EFL Trophy competition where in four matches he contributed four goals and an assist. I’m not sure a loan during the second half of this season was necessarily the plan at the start of the campaign, but his performances have earned him the chance to play at a higher level than reserve team football. He made the bench in November in the League Cup and then twice in the span of a week for the 1/3 match against Newcastle in the Premier League and the 1/9 FA Cup match against Oxford United. It will be interesting to see how he contributes for Accrington Stanley of England’s League One. They’re a very young side, but a first team environment will be a great experience. Similar to Marcelo Flores, I’d expect him to be a part of pre-season, but another loan seems much more likely than a role with the first team next season.

That’s it for today. More tomorrow when the window officially shuts. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for all the latest updates. COYG!