Arsenal: 3 loan players who deserve a chance next season

The loan team at Arsenal have rarely, if ever, used the system productively. Eddie Nketiah’s stint at Leeds was particularly ineffective with the young striker spending most of his time on the bench, Lucas Torreira has won La Liga without kicking a ball, while Dejan Iliev has been playing for Shrewsbury in League One, making only three appearances.

At 26 years of age, he won’t be forcing his way into Mikel Arteta’s thoughts any time soon. Those are just three notable examples.

More recently, however, players have been making the most of their time away from Arsenal. A host of youth players have used the opportunity to develop, with some successful spells across the 2020/21 season.

Two central defenders have been excellent in Germany and France respectively and two English midfielders have been earning regular Premier League minutes. Others have done well and heading into a summer of significant overhauling with numerous incomings and outgoings, the platform should be there for internal solutions.

Arsenal: 3 loan players who deserve a chance next season under Mikel Arteta

Three of the current loanees should be brought in and given a chance to impress Mikel Arteta during pre-season:

1. Konstantinos Mavropanos

Konstantinos Mavropanos was one of the first signings made under the purview of Sven Mislintat. Both the defender and the scout left soon thereafter but the impression Mavropanos made has lingered. A young, no-nonsense defender with the height and physicality to play at the top level started his career with somewhat of a mixed bag. Under Arsene Wenger, the Greek made a handful of appearances, impressing against the likes of Manchester United while also getting a red card towards the end of the 2017/18 season.

Mavropanos left soon thereafter on a series of loans to Bundesliga clubs and away from the lights of the Emirates where the defender has made brilliant strides in his development. The most crucial thing for the progression of new players is minutes and Mavropanos has installed himself at the heart of the defense of all the loan clubs he has played for. He has proven to be a stalwart for both Nurnberg and Stuttgart.

At the latter he has reunited with Mislintat, who seems to favor the young player and is moving mountains in his bid to keep him in Germany. The shortcomings of his parent club, however, would be fixed by his move back to Arsenal.

Rob Holding, a dedicated servant and passionate leader, is not at the level Arsenal should be striving for. David Luiz will be leaving the club at the end of the season, with only Holding and the young William Saliba at right centre-back alongside Mavropanos, who is still only 23. He has room to develop and grow into a consistent starter and while he is young, the experience he’s garnered from his loan moves would ease the pressure that Saliba might feel.

Rotating between two young, exciting and clearly talented center backs is not the worst thing in the world.

(Plus he’s pocketed Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba already)