Arsenal manager Unai Emery made a number of small improvements to his squad over the summer, shipping seven players out on loan in the process.
The likes of Reiss Nelson, David Ospina and Calum Chambers are all currently elsewhere attempting to prove themselves for future inclusion in Emery’s first-team squad.
So how are Arsenal’s seven loanees doing so far this season? We’ve had a look and ranked them by their success in the current campaign.
7. Kelechi Nwakali
Club: Porto B
Position: Attacking midfield
Age: 20
League appearances: 5
It’s important to note Kelechi Nwakali hasn’t joined Primeira Liga leaders Porto, but their B side, who currently play in the second tier in Portugal. The Nigerian has played five league games and is yet to provide a goal or an assist.
Whether he will show enough from now until the end of the season for Porto to move for him permanently, or for Arsenal to use him in the future, remains to be seen.
6. Calum Chambers
Club: Fulham
Position: Centre-back
Age: 23
League appearances: 8
Under Slavisa Jankovic, who lost his job as Fulham manager earlier this month, Calum Chambers was in and out of the side as the Cottagers repeatedly tried to solve their early-season defensive woes. Chambers has started eight of 13 Premier League games, in which Fulham have conceded 33 goals – more than any other side.
It’s been a difficult campaign so far for the centre-back. After making 24 middling-to-unconvincing league appearances for Arsenal last season, Emery appeared happy to sanction a loan for him over the summer. Nobody expected Fulham to be so poor at the back, and unfortunately Chambers has contributed to that.
Of course, with Claudio Ranieri now at the helm, Chambers might improve under a more defensively savvy coach. The defender started in central midfield against Southampton in Ranieri’s first game, a position he experienced in pre-season with Arsenal. It will be interesting to see if he remains there.
5. Takuma Asano
Club: Hannover
Position: Striker
Age: 24
League appearances: 5
Since arriving Arsenal in 2016, Japan international Takuma Asano has spent all of his time on loan in Germany. He was with Stuttgart for two seasons before joining Hannover this summer. But things haven’t exactly gone to plan.
Asano has made just five league appearances so far this season, failing to score in any of them. His only goal for Hannover came in the DFB-Pokal, and he simply isn’t being picked often enough to add to his tally. At 24 years of age, Asano’s chances of making it at Arsenal look slim.
4. Matt Macey
Club: Plymouth Argyle
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 24
League appearances: 19
Matt Macey has started in 19 of Plymouth’s 20 league games so far this season. Argyle currently sit third from bottom, in the relegation zone, having conceded 37 goals – only two sides have shipped more so far this season.
The Arsenal youngster has conceded 35 of those goals, which can’t be doing much for his confidence. That said, the fact Macey is facing more shots than most goalkeepers in the division is at least giving him plenty to do. He has made some impressive saves, but like Asano it may already be too late for Macey, 24, to have much of a future at Arsenal.
3. David Opsina
Club: Napoli
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 30
League appearances: 7
Having spent four seasons as Arsenal’s back-up goalkeeper, Ospina’s chances of playing first-team football were drastically reduced this season due to the arrival of Bernd Leno, so Ospina decided to join Napoli on loan.
However, the opportunity to play more regularly hasn’t improved the Colombian’s performances. Ospina was dropped after a shaky display in Napoli’s 3-0 defeat to Sampdoria and has since been rotated with Orestis Karnezis, who has conceded just two goals in six Serie A appearances.
The form of his competitor has kept Ospina on his toes and he remains a semi-reliable goalkeeper, as proven by his clean sheet against Liverpool in the Champions League.
2. Krystian Bielik
Club: Charlton Athletic
Position: Centre-back
Age: 20
League appearances: 10
A centre-back who can also play in central midfield, Krystian Bielik’s ability to bring the ball out from defence has made him stand out at times in League One. The 20-year-old has scored two goals in 10 league appearances, including a late winner against Southend back in September.
Bielik still has plenty to work on defensively, and there are definitely question marks over whether he will ever be considered good enough for Arsenal’s first-team squad. His contract with the Gunners expires in the summer of 2020, so the pressure is on him to provide more good performances for Charlton.
1. Reiss Nelson
Club: Hoffenheim
Position: Attacking midfield
Age: 18
League appearances: 8
Reiss Nelson’s remarkable start to life in Germany has been intriguing to follow. He has mostly been used as a substitute in the Bundesliga, playing only 327 minutes of football, yet he has averaged a goal every 55 minutes, finding the net six times in eight games so far.
Along with Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund, Nelson is paving the way for more young English players to make an impact abroad in the future. Arsenal must be delighted with the top-flight experience he is gaining, experience that could result in the 18-year-old featuring regularly for the Gunners next season.
Nelson has found the Champions League slightly more hard going, playing for just 68 minutes and missing a clear-cut chance against Shakhtar Donetsk. Hoffenheim could yet play in the Europa League after Christmas, where Nelson may be given more time to shine on the European stage.
The post Ranked: Every Arsenal loanee by success this season appeared first on Squawka News.
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