According to ESPN, Bolton Wanderers are eager to take Gedion Zelalem on loan for the season.
Arsenal have already done business with the League One club having signed Rob Holding for £2 million earlier in the summer.
Zelalem, 19, spent last year playing in the second tier of Scottish football as Rangers gained promotion to the SPL. He recorded 8 assists in 28 games for Mark Warburton’s side and scored in a Scottish Cup semi-final shootout win over rivals Celtic.
Zelalem was included in Arsene Wenger’s squad for the recent tour of California but his path to first team football at the Emirates is blocked by a number of more experienced stars. As such a loan move makes sense, although it remains to be seen whether it happens before Christmas.
The Gunners have made a habit of loaning players to the Trotters in recent years with the likes of Jack Wilshere, Ryo Miyaichi and Wellington Silva all spending time at the Macron (previously Reebok) stadium.
Lower than j would’ve wanted. And dubious about if he will get games considering how they treated Wellington Silva (under different management to be fair).
Would prefer a Championship club like Brentford.
Loaning out zelalem as well as wilshere is not a good idea. I know we have depth in midfield but it is arsenal so you never know. We need to keep our youngsters that may play a part in the season. and I think him along with the jeff are those youngsters.
Zelalem is no where near first team experience, he has Iwobi, The Jeff and Willock all ahead of him in the picking order, the boy is very skillful but he really needs to toughen up may be this loan will help him.
I though that he is more CM and that Iwobi, Jeff and Willock are more wide players?
But I guess it’ll be quite tough to get game time anyway with Xhaka, Cazorla, Coq, Elneny, Jack & Ramsey all ahead of him.
Personally I’d loan Zelalem and keep Jack.
Loaning out Toral now seems even more strange.
Geary for 6.5m euros….is an absolute joke if true. We better have put in a buy back clause
Indeed. What are we THINKING!!! He has a year left on his contract, which means we don’t HAVE to sell him! Obviously, we run the risk–quite high, but not dead certain–that we lose him next summer for free. But in the meantime, a) he might decide to sign a new contract after all, b) he might have a breakout year and be brilliant for us, or at least c) he at least would provide valuable cover on the flanks for when the inevitable injury crisis hits. Instead, we are giving all this up for peanuts. PEANUTS!!! Why?? I know we… Read more »
Obviously an element of risk with these loans but, touch wood, we should be sufficiently covered. Much better to get some proper minutes under their belts and come back next year to challenge for the first team.
Cazorla is a little genius but this season could be his last at the highest level with his advancing years. Big opportunity for Jack and guys like Zelalem after Santi starts playing less minutes.
An exciting prospect no doubt but he is not ready yet imo, so another loan spell would do him a lot of good.
We should learn our lesson from the unfolding Serge transfer though, and make sure we do keep a beady eye on his contract situation, so he doesn’t get “Gnabbed” by the “big bad wolves” who now seem to be constantly sniffing around our talented youngsters. I am particularly worried about Bayern who is beginning to do a Barca on us, and don’t mind going through “the back door” especially as this guy is half German?.
Perplexed by Jack’s loan move. We always run the risk of two players out to injuries. Santi is over 30, Ramsey slightly accident prone. If we are out on two (say the two above mentioned), it leaves just Ozil, Granit, Coquelin, Elneny to contest 3 positions (never mind the whole Ox central role) Jeff is a exciting player but still only 18. Willock is also very young. If anything Zelalem has the most experience for a youth player. He was loaned out to the rough and tumble hard knock school of second division Scottish footy for a reason and acquitted… Read more »
AND WHAT OF IWOBI?