Wigan Athletic have confirmed that Omar Rekik has returned to Arsenal following the conclusion of his short-term loan.
The Tunisia international featured 14 times for the Latics since joining in September but hadn’t been included in a matchday squad for over a month.
He also spent six months on loan at the DW Stadium last season having spent the first half of the 22/23 campaign with Sparta Rotterdam.
Signed from Hertha Berlin in 2021, Rekik remains under contract at the Emirates for another 18 months.
To be honest, he’s no closer to Mikel Arteta’s first team compared to when he arrived and another loan move will likely suit all parties.
If he can’t be in Wigan’s matchday squad, we can wish him good luck already. He may get a contract with small team in Moldovia.
A bit of a long shot signing and worth a gamble as you might well end up with a Martinelli – but it doesn’t seem likely on this occasion unfortunately.
Looking at the transfer business, or lack of it this window so far I’m wondering if this will be one of the quietest in terms of money spent that we’ve ever seen in the Premier League era?
I’m sure it will, and I’m just as sure that the reason is there are many teams terrified of being in the same boat as Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Worse than that season we got Cech?
Has anyone watched this guy. Sometimes a player just is not up to the standard and there are times they need someone to give them a chance.
My sense from reading arseblog news articles is that most of our loanees end up not playing all that much for their loan clubs, or at least being phased out after promising starts. I don’t know whether this impression I have is accurate or whether our loanees are any different from those from other clubs in this regard, but it would make an interesting article if anyone can be arsed to look into it… 🙂
Mostly it’s the loanees in the English lower leagues. Teams there have a life or death attitude. Doesn’t help to develop a kid from another club at the cost of promotion/relegation.
Secondly there are thousands of kids at that level and only a tiny fraction are good enough for first team football and our kids are no different. For every Niklass Bendtner there will always be hundreds of Arturo Lupoli out scoring him at academy level and giving fans promise but in truth no club produces a kid (good enough to play anywhere) per season or two.
Also a lot depends on the player’s attitude. If he thinks he is Billy Big Bollocks there are plenty of lower league players waiting to take them down a peg.
On a side note, I happened to watch our u19s in their champions league matches and I was shocked at how far behind they were behind their counterparts. They were billed as favorites in the first games but quickly turned out as whipping boys of sorts. What I noticed is how flat their performances were. Is it over coaching? It was like watching a goalkeeper and 10 number 8s. Everyone trying to pass pass pass and pass backwards just for the sake of not losing the ball. I remember thinking these kids are so far away from making it anywhere… Read more »
Is it that we have so many players out on loan that our age group teams are watered down? Would a real true youth cup team, that incls tose out on loan and those playing up, get stuffed 2 years running?