Arsenal Loan Players Round-up: Torreira and Guendouzi impress
Arsenal loan players round-up: Torreira and Guendouzi impress
However, with an already large squad it’s perhaps worth checking
in on the progress of some of the players currently away on loan deals, before
looking at who can be brought in.
The squad may need further trimming down before new players arrive.
Mikel Arteta had to allow some players back in the summer to leave
to ensure they receive minutes, particularly with his team not contesting
European football this season.
In total the club currently has 17 players currently out on loan.
Senior players
Matteo Guendouzi is one of the more senior figures at the club currently
spending this season elsewhere, the midfielder is with Marseille in Ligue 1.
The 22 year-old has had an excellent first half of the season in
the south of France, and carried on the good form on Sunday, producing a
hat-trick of assists in his team’s 4-1 French Cup victory over fifth-tier
Cannet Rocheville.
If he can maintain his high-performance levels in the New Year,
surely a permanent move to Stade Velodrome becomes inevitable.
Another Arsenal player pushing for a permanent transfer away from
London is Lucas Torreira.
Something of an afterthought for Mikel Arteta,Torreira has
impressed over in Italy this season with Fiorentina.
He has started 13 of the 17 league games he has been available
for, and starred as his team rescued a draw last weekend.
2-0 down at home to Sassuolo, Torreira set-up Dusan Vlahovic to
pull a goal back in the 51st minute.
Within 10 minutes he found the net with a poacher’s effort to
complete the comeback, with the game ending two apiece.
It would take a £15million fee for the Serie A club to make the
switch permanent, money that would be most welcome at the Emirates as Arteta
continues to reshape his squad in 2022.
Right-back Hector Bellerin is another
high-profile Gunner currently out on-loan.
But the Real Betis loanee didn’t have quite as happy a weekend as
Torreira, in his team’s final match of 2021
Despite playing the full 90 minutes for Betis in their La Liga trip to
Athletic Bilbao, Bellerin was unable to prevent his team sliding to a 3-2
defeat.
The 22 year-old has had an excellent first half of the season in
the south of France, and carried on the good form on Sunday, producing a
hat-trick of assists in his team’s 4-1 French Cup victory over fifth-tier
Cannet Rocheville.
If he can maintain his high-performance levels in the New Year,
surely a permanent move to Stade Velodrome becomes inevitable.
Another Arsenal player pushing for a permanent transfer away from
London is Lucas Torreira.
Something of an afterthought for Mikel Arteta,Torreira has impressed over in Italy this season with Fiorentina.
2-0 down at home to Sassuolo, Torreira set-up Dusan Vlahovic to
pull a goal back in the 51st minute.
Within 10 minutes he found the net with a poacher’s effort to
complete the comeback, with the game ending two apiece.
It would take a £15million fee for the Serie A club to make the
switch permanent, money that would be most welcome at the Emirates as Arteta
continues to reshape his squad in 2022.
Right-back Hector Bellerin is another
high-profile Gunner currently out on-loan.
But the Real Betis loanee didn’t have quite as happy a weekend as
Torreira, in his team’s final match of 2021
Younger players
Defender, Konstantinos Mavropanos, 24, is currently on
loan at VfB Stuttgart for the second season in a row from North London.
The Bundesliga side have the option to sign him for just €3.5
million when the window opens, and are expected to make that deal permanent.
However, West Ham United are also thought to be interested in the Greek
international following his impressive form.
He did end up on the losing side last Sunday, though, as Stuttgart
suffered a gut-wrenching defeat away at Koln – Anthony Modeste scoring the only
goal in the 88th minute.
Another young centre-half, Harry Clarke, also featured
for his temporary team at the weekend, starting in Ross County’s trip to
Livingston on Saturday in the SPFL.
Clarke put in a solid display, but also conceded a late goal.
County had led at the interval but the it ended 1-1 after Livingston equalised
with just two minutes to play.
Young midfielder Miguel Azeez wasn’t in action
this weekend after Portsmouth’s trip to Wimbledon was postponed due to Covid-19
cases in the away camp.
However, the week before he did play the full 90 minutes in their
2-0 win over Morecambe, producing a good performance and getting an assist to
boot, as his corner was headed home by Connor Ogilvie.
The 19-year-old has featured more recently with Pompey manager
Danny Cowley impressed.
He will return to the Emirates at the end of the season, hopefully a much more developed player after his spell in League One.
