Arsenal: 3 loan transfers that need to happen this summer

At a time where the start of the season, permanent moves away and incoming transfers are the talk of the town, there are also other deals that need to be sanctioned this summer in order to prepare certain members of the Arsenal squad for what is to come.

The word ‘loan’ is one that in almost every case has to be abandoned at Arsenal. There can be no more temporary signings that only cater to the short-term and as far as departures go, loans do precious little to aid the rebuild that is tip-toeing along.

There will be no James Maddison‘s or *shrug* Aaron Ramsdale‘s if the Gunners keep sending players out with no financial gain. Sure, wages are taken of the salary bill and space in the squad is freed up, but that’s not enough.

But loans don’t always have to be the result of failing to sanction a permanent move.

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Arsenal: 3 loan transfers that need to happen this summer as Mikel Arteta shapes his squad for the coming Premier League campaign

Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are prime examples of how beneficial they can be. For the former, his six-month stint on Tyneside has seen his value sky rocket and make him quite possibly the biggest sale Arsenal will make all summer.

Talk of a £20m+ deal with Newcastle in the offing is precisely why footballers being paid to do nothing is something Arsenal have to gravitate away from.

He just had to play, whether that meant him returning to north London ready to waltz into the starting lineup or thrust him into an inviting shop window. It was the same for Maitland-Niles who even without hitting the same heights as his teammate proved himself capable of being a decent enough addition to fellow Premier League sides.

The 23-year-old has suitors this summer and while nothing has materialised yet, it’s the kind of deal that will likely be left until very late in the window

Then there is Reiss Nelson who stayed on past the January transfer window and is now not part of Arteta’s plans and not really in the thoughts of many other clubs.

Players have to play. Simple as that. And in the squad there are three members who need to be head out on loan this window in order to gain the valuable minutes they need for their development, or otherwise.

These are three needing a loan.

Continued…

1. Miguel Azeez

Age: 18
Contract expiry: 2022 (option to extend to 2024)
Possible loan destinations: Football League

Reports began to emerge before the previous season ended that such was the impression Miguel Azeez was making with the Under-23 side, as well as in senior training, that he would be given a chance to be among the first team setup for the coming term.

The news delighted most. Azeez is a huge talent who despite being only 18 years old has shown all the qualities that will make him a star in this team in the years to come. His goalscoring outing in pre-season only helped his case.

The previous reports were matched with more recent developments that backed up the claims of him being handed his chance, noting the impressive work he’d put in in the gym to work on his physical attributes.

But are the occasional FA Cup and Carabao Cup outings – the average amount of cup games in a season probably hovers at around four – really going to aid his development all that much? With no European football there isn’t anything else going.

With full focus on the Premier League season, Mikel Arteta has Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny all available to play in those slots (on the basis that both Willock and Maitland-Niles depart) thus his opportunities will be slim.

He doesn’t have to leave on a season-long loan spell. As impressive as he’s been, Azeez is still only 18 and has plenty of his career ahead of him to continue training in the Arsenal setup before he gets his chance more frequently or goes on a full loan elsewhere.

However, even just six months would be beneficial to him at a side in the Football League, at least that way he can return once AFCON kicks off and two of those ahead of him in the pecking order jet off.

2. Alex Runarsson

Age: 25
Contract expiry: 2024
Possible loan destinations: Anywhere top-flight

A loan? For Alex Runarsson?

Sadly, yes. Because at this stage it’s quite clear that nobody is willing to pay a fee for him. Given that the only known club to make a concerted effort to sign him so far this window was a newly-promoted Turkish side.

Talks of a move to Altay broke down over supposed terms but before the window concludes there is no hope for Runarsson staying. A permanent move would be preferable but off the back of the form he showed last season there is nobody who’d be willing to pay a fee worth Arsenal’s time.

At least with a season-long switch he can rebuild some stock and encourage potential buyers that the mistakes seen in north London were merely down to the nervousness of such a big career move.

Where could he go? It doesn’t especially matter which country he’s in so long as he’s playing regular top-flight football. Weekly minutes in the Turkish Super Lig would have been great for him but if a Ligue 1 side wants to give him another crack of the French whip – it’s not likely given his form at Dijon – then that will also more than suffice.

Top five divisions is really pushing it though, even if there are clubs like Arsenal whose recruitment can be laughably bad on occasion.

A full season in top-flight somewhere will do. It has to.

3. Folarin Balogun

Age: 19
Contract expiry: 2025
Possible loan destinations: Championship or League One

This is one dependent on movement elsewhere. As impressive as Eddie Nketiah has been during pre-season, his performances are merely helping Arsenal raise their asking price. There won’t be regular minutes for the Hale Ender apart from the occasional cup outing if he stays, thus a permanent move elsewhere is inevitable.

Factor in him turning down a new deal and Arsenal simply have to sell.

However, Nketiah going doesn’t open things up for Folarin Balogun. The only way it makes sense for him to stay on next season is if Alexandre Lacazette is sold.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be the starting centre-forward in the Premier League, with the trust placed in him by Arteta even during his dry spells evidence of that. Behind him is Lacazette and having a third choice No. 9 who like Azeez will only get cup minutes at best won’t do much for his development.

Now officially a senior squad member, Balogun has no fears over his role in the squad. He just need to play. Let him have a full season of fun, hitting the back of the net elsewhere and we can all bask in that glory.

A Championship side would be ideal but there are always concerns attached given how high the stakes are in that competition. Managers may fall back on their trusted senior options and, as seen with Nketiah at Leeds, loanees can suffer as a result.

Even if just six months, let Flo go out somewhere he can play regularly. Let him demonstrate his ability on a weekly basis outside of Under-23 football. Even at just 19 years old, he’s a physically imposing striker who needs to play men, not boys.

He wouldn’t be short of any suitors.