Arsenal complete 7th loan transfer this summer

Arsenal are working through this window with two faces. The top half of the club is busy toiling away trying to move on as much of the unwanted stars as they can to supplement richly needed arrivals, meanwhile Per Mertesacker is overseeing wholesale changes in the youth setups almost with ease.

The three-time FA Cup winner is undertaken something of a revolution in charge of the academy. Numerous top prospects at the club have been tied down to new long-term deals, there has been a restructuring of the coaching setup and his eye for talent hasn’t gone unnoticed with some excellent additions.

Equally, those in the Under-23 squad and below that are deemed ready to be playing first team football have been granted loan moves away, including strikers Tyreece John-Jules and Nikolaj Moller who’ve joined Blackpool and Viktoria Koln respectively.

Elsewhere, Matt Smith has joined Doncaster, Daniel Ballard has moved to Millwall, Harry Clarke has gone to Ross County and goalkeeper Tom Smith has joined Welling United. Zech Medley and Trae Coyle are among those who’ve left permanently.

Arsenal complete 7th loan transfer this summer as Per Mertesaker continues academy revolution with Jordi Osei-Tutu joining Nottingham Forest

Additionally to those six loans that have been completed in total from the Under-23 side, a seventh has now being added to the list with right-back Jordi Osei-Tutu joining Championship side Nottingham Forest on loan for the 2021/22 season, as confirmed on the Arsenal website.

A temporary switch to Cardiff City last season was derailed by a hamstring injury picked up early into the season, and having started the campaign as the Bluebirds’ first choice in that department his injury kept him out from matchday seven until the very end of the campaign.

While many of the loan stars this season will still harbour hopes of a future at Arsenal, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see Osei-Tutu moved on permanently in the coming summer. However, with back-to-back Championship loan moves under his belt, one hopefully injury free, it could at least see the 22-year-old garner a small fee with his deal running out in 2023.

Beyond the players, Mertesacker has also succeeded in hiring a new Under-23 head coach. Previously coaching England’s Under-15, Under-16, Under-17 and Under-18 sides, Kevin Betsy took the reins earlier in the month to replace Steve Bould, who was sacked after a disappointing 2020/21 season.