Arsenal out of favour loan duo focus of crunch future talks

If you thought the January transfer window was busy then strap in for the coming summer, as Arsenal have an immense to-do list to rattle through when the season concludes. There are contracts to sort out, players to sell, players to buy and loan stars whose futures need seeing to; Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira to name but a few.

The pair both had their chance to impress following Mikel Arteta’s appointment, yet neither were deemed of the right standard, or attitude, to cement their places in his side.

A loan deal was secured in the summer to send Lucas Torreira to Atletico Madrid, where despite being involved in a La Liga title push, his involvement has been scarce and the situation was even reviewed in January with an eye on temporarily sending him to another club.

It was a similar situation for Matteo Guendouzi, who Arsenal tried to sell on a permanent deal but failed to secure a buyer – perhaps partly due to their rumoured £30m asking price – with a season-long switch to Hertha Berlin materialising. It’s been distinctly more successful for the Frenchman in terms of minutes accrued as he’s become an ever-present in the Bundesliga side.

Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi set for crunch talks with Arsenal over long-term futures

Do either have a long-term future at Arsenal? All signs point towards summer sales, although the form of Guendouzi has opened the door to a potential reintegration in north London. Either way, crunch talks are in the offing to determine the pair’s futures, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.

"“He [Guendouzi] will be back in the summer, they will discuss with Hertha Berlin about his future and if they will have other opportunities,” Romano told The Blind Gooner. “We had rumours about a possibility about him leaving Hertha Berlin in January to come back to Arsenal, but it wasn’t true just because Hertha always said they wanted the player and to keep the player. “Next summer it’s so similar to Torreira, because they want to decide next summer. “They will have a meeting they always do this at Arsenal, and they will decide together about the future of players like Torreira and the same with Matteo Guendouzi and more, in the coming weeks we will know more.”"

Instead of waiting until the end of the season, knowing more ‘in the coming weeks’ hints towards a decision being made in advance of the summer to make inroads on the mountain of tasks facing the club. So, what are the plans?