Jon Toral says he’ll return to Arsenal this summer to have a conversation about what the next step in his career is.
The midfielder has been ruled out of Birmingham City’s final fixture against Cardiff this weekend because of injury, and in all likelihood has played his last game for the blues.
He’s had a very encouraging loan spell at the Championship side though, scoring 8 goals from 38 appearances, and he’s been a popular figure amongst fans for his contributions.
Speaking to the Birmingham official website, he was asked about his plans for next season.
“I’m not sure,” he said. |I’ll go back to Arsenal and then we’ll decide from there. I’ll play pre-season there and see what the future holds for me.”
Asked if he’d be open to another season at St Andrew’s, he said, “I’d have nothing against that after my experience here this season because I have had a wonderful time and enjoyed it.
“But I need to talk to Arsenal and we’ll decide what’s best for me. I think I have progressed a lot this season with more minutes on the pitch.
“That’s what you’re looking for when you go out on loan – to get some experience of football at a high level. This is still only my second full season in a professional division like the Championship.
“It’s been a year of progress for me and that’s thanks to the staff here and to Birmingham City.”
There will certainly be space in the Arsenal midfield next season when Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini all depart, but it remains to be seen if Arsene Wenger has been sufficiently impressed to promote him into the first team squad.
The 21 year old has just one year left on his contract, having signed an extension last summer, so it’s decision time for sure.
But after two good loan spells in which he’s developed well, he’s done his chances no harm.
LANS
He’s a bench and cup games candidates for next season… Keep him
He has to be good. His name is fucking Jon Toral. Just like there was no way “Hector Bellerin” wasn’t going to be fucking amazing
Pascal cygan is a pretty good name…. That ruins your theory lol
I dunno, Pascal sounds kinda like those faint colors they use in school art classes.
The name’s Toral, Jon Toral
By that logic, Vlad Dragomir should be able to take on Barca single handedly!
Ohh he will, just you wait
This Kid is good, give him a chance to impress like we did with Bellerin and Iwobi
Get out while you can, you too Joel. Unless you are a favourite of Arsene it doesn’t matter how well you perform you won’t get a chance.
Unfortunately this is 100% true.
Right, so Iwobi being favored ahead of Walcott is just a one off then I guess. Oh and Bellerin keeping his place despite Wenger’s quite obvious Francophilia. Monreal usurping Gibbs wasn’t because of competition but its how Wenger always planned it from the start. I could sarcastically go on about the countless number of players that Wenger has given a chance to in the first team but you anti-Wenger folk have such short memories and your heads so far up your asses you’d probably find a way to give credit to the flying spaghetti monster than to Wenger.
Thanks for insulting me. Just because I have a difference of opinion to you does not make it invalid. Also just because I criticised Wenger does not mean I am anti-wenger. The level of intelligince in Arsenal fans is shockingly low and it worries me. You also missed the point of my comment. I am also talking about this season not historically. Iwobi has been good and fitted into the team well. Has he performed better than Campbell? Not in my opinion. Wenger is always going to favour talent which he has developed in the academy like Bellerin etc. As… Read more »
First of all go back and reread your comment and if you didn’t intend it to be an anti-Wenger comment then you might think about how you chose to phrase it. Secondly, OMG this is a baffling comment. You say that Wenger has always favored players who have developed in the academy but your initially comment was that Toral, an academy product, wouldn’t be given a chance by Wenger! Third, Campbell?! that’s it? Wenger plays favorites because he’s not playing Campbell, that’s your only example! You’re I should just go back to having a conversation with my other child friends,… Read more »
I don’t need to rephrase it. A criticism is a criticism. If you decide to use to to categorise me into the anti-wenger group then thats on you NOT me. To my recollection Toral has never been given a first-team chance and generally with players the manager loans out season after season very few have been given chances to establish themselves in our squad (Coquelin is an exception which largely happenned by chance). I was talking about this season in particular but again pick and choose what I say to support your rhetoric. If you look back at your initial… Read more »
If you want to have a grown-up conversation we can, but I continue a conversation with a child
*refuse to have a conversation with a child
That all three of Rosicky, Arteta and Flamini will depart this summer I wont believe until I see it.
If they ask for it im sure they would all get new contracts. But if they want to leave themselves then Wenger wont try to convince them otherwise.
We know how loyal he is to his players.
Flamini to sign a new contract as player-owner next season!
I can picture him knocking on silent stan’s door everyday with a new offer in the billions.
I am pretty sure all will leave the full time playing staff. Arteta might get a coaching role…I suppose Thomas too. I suspect Flamini thinks he s has some. Mileage left. The signing of Elneny, the apparent trailing of Xhaka would suggest that AW believes he needs centre midfielders which in turn suggests that those 3 will be let go. Our elder MF player will now be Santi. It gives us good options in MF with Le Coq, Elneny, Santi, Ramsey and the possibility of Xhaka….and who knows – a fit Wilshere dare we dream. That’s a lot of options… Read more »
You know nothing Jon Toral
I would like to see the kid get a chance and be slowly integrated into the team similar to how Iwobi was this season. But the Wenger Out brigade would go ballistic because we’re promoting a kid instead of spending the fucking money on a big name.
I heard if wenger was given this lei ester team he would finish fourth with the two games remaining
Total looks certain to have an important pre season ahead of him. If he does well, he could likely stay until at least January.
Citeh lost…oh dear!
Nice player. Confident enough to beat a man. Let’s see what preseason holds.
Failing that, Chuck a lot of money at Madrid for Kroos. He is so underrated in Madrid it’s astonishing. At DM over there, it’s a total waste of wonderful talent.
Pay the asking price and bring him in.
Only watched a couple of Birminghams games this season when he has played but looked pretty decent in a wide left/right position. Reminded me of when Wenger played Wilshere and Rambo there. Deserves a chance.
What? He’s 21 already? Well that made me feel old..
Would like to see how he performs preseason. If Alli can come from league 1 and perform the he has, then so can Toral. It’s all about having the right mentality.
Hope to see Jon Toral in the first team next season. Arsenal can save the millions and invest the money where most needed and buy a top quality striker. But there is always a big possibility that Wenger will just let Toral go, as with Lansbury, Nordtveit, Afobe, Barazite, Larsson, Eisfeld, and many many others.
From that list of players you have just reeled off, name one of them that has gone on to do well??
Afobe. But I agree with you, Arsene gets it right almost every time…
No mention of Amaury Bitch-cough?
Oh Soooo NOOOOO Gooo, Oh Sooooo NOOOO Gooooo
You are the man of my dreams
You are the coffeeee to my creeaaam
Oh Sooo NOOOO Goooo Oh Soooo NOOOO Goooo
I shall cherish thee till screeeaaamm
Oh Sooo NOOO Goooooooooooo
* till I screeeeaamm
Jon Toral Harper, Hector Bellerin…. Need to find.more Spanish wonder kids with half English sounding names!
I see the Spain u21s have a Jonny Castro and Oliver Torres….
Would be good to have him get a chance there the physical size of our midfield seems to be getting bigger