Arsenal have kicked their season off in style with two comfortable victories in two games.
The Gunners head into the final week of the transfer window satisfied with some key arrivals and departures, but as always some rising stars have left the club on loan deals to gain experience elsewhere and hopefully improve to the level required to play for Arsenal in the future.
This season, six Arsenal players have decided to make a temporary move and go out on loan, so here is how every Arsenal loanee has performed over the past weekend.
-
Nuno Tavares (Lazio)
Tavares has been on Arsenal’s books for what seems like ages, but has barely featured under Mikel Arteta during his time at the club.
The 24-year-old is a high-flying left-back who is known for his attacking output while being a frankly below-average defender.
This season the Portuguese defender has embarked on a loan spell to Serie A club Lazio where he will hopefully make a name for himself in Rome.
Unfortunately, Tavares started his second consecutive game on the bench this weekend and has failed to register a competitive appearance for Lazio so far, but it is still early days for this move.
It is expected that Tavares will make his way into the starting XI in the upcoming games.
-
Albert Sambi Lokonga (Sevilla)
After enjoying a relatively successful loan spell to Luton Town last season, the Belgian has joined Spanish side Sevilla on another season-long loan.
Lokonga joined Arsenal from Anderlecht in 2021 as a promising young midfielder who was dubbed as “the next Yaya Toure” by his former manager Vincent Kompany.
Whilst the midfielder has so far failed to live up to this claim from the current Bayern Munich boss, he has shown signs of potential.
It is disappointing to see that Lokonga did not feature in Sevilla’s La Liga opener but he will certainly gain minutes gradually as the season progresses.
-
Marquinhos (Fluminese)
Arsenal’s young winger Marquinhos continues his loan spell in his native Brazil until returning in January 2025.
After making over 20 consecutive appearances for Fluminense, the 21-year-old has been dropped to the bench for the last two games.
He was brought to the Emirates Stadium from Sao Paulo in the summer of 2022, hoping to follow the footsteps of Gabriel Martinelli and find his way into the starting XI for Arsenal.
Unfortunately, he has not exceeded expectations so far, but there is still time for Marquinhos to break into the side before his contract expires in 2027.
-
Karl Hein (Real Valladolid)
Arsenal’s only goalkeeper out on loan and the first academy graduate on this list so far is Hein.
The Estonian shot-stopper started between the sticks against Real Madrid on Sunday, and despite conceding three goals against Los Blancos, Hein can keep his head held high after making six saves throughout the match.
Being only 22 years old, if Hein can come back to North London after an impressive season in La Liga, he could end up becoming David Raya’s backup and future long-term successor.
-
Charles Sagoe Jr (Shrewsbury Town)
Sagoe Jr is the penultimate player to discuss and he is a talented winger who will be playing in League One this season.
The 20-year-old spent multiple seasons playing for Arsenal’s youth teams and now goes out on loan to hopefully make his mark in English football.
He came off the bench in a 1-0 loss against Huddersfield and played 22 minutes on Saturday. This is approximately the same time he spent on the pitch against Peterborough in his Shrewsbury debut so he is due for a start in their upcoming games.
Although he has huge talent to his game, it is unlikely that he will come back to Arsenal and take the place of either Martinelli or Leandro Trossard on the left of Arteta’s front three.
-
Jack Henry-Francis (Sligo Rovers)
Lastly, 20-year-old Henry-Francis has made a move to Irish side Sligo Rovers as he looks to get some taste of senior football this season.
This weekend he was given 28 minutes off the bench and put up a solid set of statistics despite losing 7-0.
Due to the loss, Henry-Francis could benefit from some changes from the manager and may find his way into the starting XI this weekend.
