The January transfer window opens next week and several Arsenal youngsters could go on loan before the deadline. Here’s a look at five players who could depart on a temporary basis.
Yaya Sanogo
Sanogo has been heavily linked with a loan move in recent weeks, with Crystal Palace and Lorient amongst the clubs reportedly interested in his services. The French striker has an impressive goalscoring record for his country at youth level, but has failed to find the net with such regularity in an Arsenal shirt, with a loan spell likely to provide him with the perfect opportunity to hone his talent.
Chuba Akpom
The striker has been left frustrated by his lack of first-team game time this season and a loan move would enable U18 strikers Stephy Mavididi and Kaylen Hinds to push into the U21 side. Akpom struggled to establish himself during stints with Brentford and Coventry City last season, but with his Arsenal contract set to expire at the end of June, he could impress both Arsene Wenger and other potentially interested parties with some good performances in a competitive division. Some may question the sense of sending both Sanogo and Akpom out on loan, but neither player has featured regularly for the first-team this season and both are in need of regular game time.
Semi Ajayi
Physically-imposing central-defender Ajayi has made the bench for the Arsenal first-team on several occasions this season, but Isaac Hayden’s return from injury is likely to push him further down the pecking order at the club. Like Akpom, Ajayi’s contract expires next summer, and the Nigerian youth international is in need of competitive football after a year and a half of experience at U21 level.
Deyan Iliev
Macedonian youth goalkeeper Iliev came close to leaving Arsenal last summer and he has endured a frustrating season so far, with a combination of injury and the form of others restricting him to a solitary appearance for the U21 side. With Matt Macey ahead of him and Ryan Huddart also capable of stepping up to the U21s, Iliev may have to leave on a temporary basis to get his career back on track.
Samuel Galindo
In one of the more obscure stories involving Arsenal youngsters, Bolivian international midfielder Galindo has been on the club’s books for nearly five years but has yet to make a competitive appearance for the Gunners at any level. He has been sent on loan four times, but he hasn’t played any games since a spell back in his homeland with Jorge Wilstermann in 2013. Another loan would take him to the end of his Arsenal contract ahead of his seemingly inevitable departure next summer.
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Jeorge Bird is the author of www.arsenalyouth.wordpress.com Follow him on Twitter @jeorgebird
Masal Bugduv update please.
It’d be disastrous to send both Sanogo and Akpom on loan. One of them has to stay behind to warm the 1st team bench and get cameos (Sanago) or ensure the promotion of the u21’s (Akpom) or even do both (Akpom).
With Giroud’s red card, Sanogo’s loan might be a little bit delayed. Akpom likely to join the likes of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Jay Simpson, Sanchez Watt, on the “close enough but couldn’t make it at Arsenal” list
The fact that you rate akpom lower than sanogo and in the same category as watt and simpson just shows your naivety. The fact that wenger forces us to watch sanogo over akpom does not mean he isn’t destined to end up like thomas or the rest its just tactical as he is a big man.
…Joel Campbell? *troll face*
Isaac Hayden. Has the potential to turn into a beast CB.
Wondering why didn’t mentioned Macey who’s older then Iliev and we have Huddart who already played a couple of games for U21. You didn’t mentioned also Ormonde-Ottewill, 19.
I would also add to the list Serge Gnabry who would benefit very much from playing reguraly when he gets fit.
Diaby if he is fit enough.
Yaya Sanogo is among the players that should be sold not loaned out..
Why? As much as I have my own doubts about him, I think he should be given a fair chance. Don’t forget we looked like FA cup losers before he came on in that final last season. How did that end again?
He has scored 1 goal in around 20 competitive games for us, and yes the one he scored was sort of a goalkeeper error. It was a goal that any player on this planet could score. Now arsenal do have one of the best midfields in the world. (Not taking in the DM role in to consideration.) A forward playing for arsenal got the set-up complete to score goals. Yaya Sanogo does not posses any lethal shot, he is not exactly techniqual (I mean I see people who are more techniqually gifted in League 2.) He is decent at headers… Read more »
The guy is soon to be 22 years old I believe. The guy has not really shown a glimpse of quality in a _competitive_ match for us. 1 goal in 20 games with the players we have here?! I am sorry, but the guy is never going to become the player Wenger is hoping him to be. The guy is lucky to be where he is at. Look at some of the goals that for instance Akpom scores for the u21’s, simply amazing young talent. And when you compare it to Yaya Sanogo it is a bit of a joke… Read more »
yeh, sanogo is fairly good, but not good enough currently.
I just hate it when arsene uses arsenal fc as a testbed for his french youth experiments…..
test them on loan elsewhere and give akpom/campbell a chance man…
If you ask coventry fans about akpoms loan last year they will tell you he wasnt physically ready for senior football. Which is why he struggled to get much game time on either of his loans this season. The difference in physicality of age griup football and senior football is huge. It seems to me to be a perfect time to send akpom out on loan, lets see if he handles senior football at championship or league one level and then assess him. The problem for both is that almost all players of there type (big centre forward) are only… Read more »
If Ramsey did’t score that winning goal all you would have remembered about Sanogo coming in is him running about and missing chances here and there. Yes having two strikers changed the game but people should stop acting like the kid coming on was what won us the FA cup
Sanogo’s got talent. You can see that. He’s got some qualities in his game. He just needs regular playing time somewhere also so we can what he’s all about.
Iliev plays in Belgium now i believe!
When I read statements like Sanogo has talent, I feel it is has more to do with the fact that wenger for curious reasons rates him so highly he picks him for games over the likes of akpom. If Sanogo wasn’t an Arsenal player and being played so often by wenger Everyone one in the world will agree Akpom is miles away from sanogo in skills, finishing, technique, pace and overall gameplay. Yes sanogo is tall and strong, but we are not looking for a bentner or chamak which he reminds me of.
I like Sanogo. He may not end up being good enough, but that’s okay. We got him on a free and he was going to be a gamble. I think it’s too soon to say if he’s good enough or not.
He costs the club money every week, when do you reckon we will see if he is good enough? I mean the lad is 22 years old, he is older than Oxlade Chamberlain. Look at the quality difference.. Yaya Sanogo is a wenger project.
Some players blossom later than others; consider Drogba and Giroud who were nowhere at age 22. Sanogo has also lost a lot of time to injury over the years. I don’t know if he’ll be good enough, and I think Akpom is probably more deserving of the chances Sanogo is getting, but I wouldn’t write Sanogo off. He causes problems for defenders with his physique, and he has the raw materials to improve greatly. Akpom is clearly a better finisher and more polished player right now, but does he have the strength to match it with centre backs at the… Read more »
Surely chuba akpom deserves the sort of patience Wenger has showed in sanogo. But to be fair, wengers track record for young talent is pretty outstanding. And that’s why he’s the boss and I’m not
well said