Arsenal: 3 players who need January loan moves

Youth players at Arsenal have been invaluable in the past few years. Not only have some of them come through and secured their place in the starting lineup, some of them have been sold for much-needed transfer fees.

The meteoric rise of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe will inspire those in the youth academy, showing them that it is possible to break through and don the red and white at a senior level.

While Saka was able to fill in at left-back, becoming a starter due to the lack of other options, Smith Rowe’s journey is more emblematic of the difficulties youngsters can face. While his technical quality was always there, he needed to develop his physique and gain valuable experience playing not against boys, but against men.

He did this to great effect at Huddersfield before joining up with Mikel Arteta and solidifying himself as a crucial member of the squad. It’s incredibly rare to become a success at the club you grow up at, but it can be done.

Arsenal: 3 players who need January loan moves with the likes of Charlie Patino needing valuable experience elsewhere to further their development

The jump from youth football to senior football is one that not every player can make. Given Smith Rowe’s successes, however, it is clear that smart loan moves can allow players to develop away from the pressures associated with playing for the first team.

Here are three youth players that need productive loan moves this window.

1. Charlie Patino

Charlie Patino’s name has been whispered by more cautious fans, while also being shouted from the rooftops by the most optimistic fans who dub him the next Jack Wilshere. His talent is clear to see but he has largely played against other youth players, and without Europa League this season it has been difficult to rotate the squad and blood in youngsters and see how they fare against first team opposition.

However, the recent absentees in midfield meant that Patino was able to start against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup. He was totally lost. Unable to find a rhythm, it was obvious that the youngster was out of his depth. The pace of the game is quicker, the players are more physical and the spaces are condensed at the top level. Patino found that out against Forest as he struggled to get a foothold in the game.

One poor performance does not mean that he will not make it, of course. Arsenal won’t just turn to the next young product. His showing only confirms what most fans already knew: he is not quite ready to play for the first team.

The youngster just turned 18 years old in October and a smart loan move where he could refine his game in the lower leagues would be exactly what he needs. Youth football is not challenging enough, just as senior Premier League football is a bit too far of a jump for now.

With Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka back in the frame, with Mohamed Elneny not far behind and new arrivals heavily mooted, the midfield will start to fill up with bodies again. Letting Patino go out on loan in January would serve as the next stage in his development, even if the Under-23 side will be weakened as a result.

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