Where have all the loanees gone? And who is coming back?

With all the talk of Mr Wenger having all the money he wants to buy, buy, and buy again the usual round-up of the loanees seems to have passed by the wayside – perhaps because several of them (Bendtner is one name that comes to mind) don’t seem to be ready for a return to Arsenal.

Indeed of all the players out on loan last season just three might be in line to join the first team squad next season – and in reality none of them look that likely.  But tucked behind them there are a couple of other names we might see.

Emmanuel Frimpong

On 1 January 2012, Frimpong  joined Wolverhampton Wanderers then of the Premier League, now of the third tier.  The following day he made his debut, starting against  Chelsea. But in his fifth game he ruptured a cruciate ligament in his right knee and that was that.  He was then returned to Arsenal.

On 19 November 2012, Frimpong joined Charlton Athletic on a six-week loan and on 25 January 2013 he joined Fulham for the rest of the season. 

Frimpong then got injured during Fulham’s 3-0 win at Swansea City and this led to another operation.

Ryo Miyaichi

On 13 August 2012 Rio joined Wigan for the season and made his début on  28 August 2012.   However, since then, he has been limited to three appearances due to injury. On 9 March, he returned again but was substituted after playing 45 minutes, due to an ankle injury.

In an interview he said, “My ankle is getting better so I’m comfortable at the moment. My target is to be fit in pre-season.”

Joel Campbell

Unable to get a work permit in England, Campbell joined Lorient with on loan.

On 6 July 2012, Campbell joined Real Betis on a season-long loan.  It has been announced that Campbell’s loan with Betis would be extended through 2014, although the story that I read seemed to have him extending his loan, before the original one had started!  Maybe a slip of the typing finger, maybe not.

Joel Campbell has 22 full caps – but not enough yet to give him a work permit, although I believe that after another year in Spain he could take on Spanish citizenship, which would give him entry under EU rules.

Last season Joel started 24 games and had 7 as a substitute.

So a much smaller list of possibles than normal, and within that list two with regular injuries and one who maybe ready to return or may be  staying on loan for another year.

The other loanees last season were: Andre Santos, Chamakh, Aneke, Roberts, Djourou, Bendtner, Denilson, Ju Young Park, Wellington, and Samuel Gallindo.

If we had to pick anyone from this list to make a return it might be Chuks Aneke who played 30 times for Crewe last season, or perhaps Samuel Gallindo, who might be ready to get a passport now.   But Gallindo e has not shown overwhelming promise during his loan spell, and he moved back to Bolivia to play for Club Jorge Wilstermann.

Which takes us back to Chuks Aneke.  At the end of the season the Crewe Chronicle reported that Steve Davis, the manager of Alex, said he has been very happy with the loan, not least because he scored two superb goals in the last two games.

Aneke has only one year left on his contract at the Emirates and the manager at Crewe said:

“He has to assess what he is doing at Arsenal and find out whether they think he is going to be good enough for their team.  We’ll keep in touch with his agent and him because he has settled in here and the lads have been brilliant with him. I’d like him to help take us to the Championship.”

Aneke scored eight goals and got a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy winner’s medal.  He said in a local interview…

“It was good to end on the high. It has done me the world of good here and I am very grateful for the opportunity.  I just want to enjoy my football wherever that is next year, that’s what I am looking for now.”

So, maybe Chuks, maybe not.  And if you want one more outside bet there is Phillip Roberts who played 17 games for Inverness Caledonian Thistle last season.

And if not, well, maybe someone can move up from the fringes of the first team squad.

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16 Replies to “Where have all the loanees gone? And who is coming back?”

  1. Please Mr Wenger don’t let Chuks Aneke go like others, we need him in our first team. One of the persons we don’t want again in arsenal is cesc. Let him stay where he is in barca.

  2. Well it won’t be roberts as he was released by the club last week. There are a number of players in their last year as well as aneke. Afobe and boateng both of whom you failed to mention had loan spells this season neither of which were successful. Frimpong has a year left as does miquel ryo and martinez, you have to say at this moment in time none of them including aneke and campbell look close to a regular birth in the first team. In fact they have all yet to prove themself in the championship or one of the top leagues which is surely the minimum requirement for arsenal now as we have gone so long without success

  3. The loanees, except for Joel and chuks, do not fill me, or any other arsenal fan, with vigor and anticipation. My understanding is that majority fans want most loanees to leave the club. Given that there is immense pressure on Wenger, the board and Dick Law to negotiate a transfer for world class, marquee striker signing I presume that Chuks and Joel’s chances of making into Arsenal 25 are limited. Also given that our midfield is packed; with further additions expected this summer, I also don’t see the future being bright for denilson, miyaichi and park. Nevertheless, there will be the necessity to maintain a certain number of players in the squad and some of them also have one or two year in contract left. If the loanees return and show tremendous improvement there is some future. While league cups and early stages of FA cup were reserved for young players the lack of trophies has meant that AW will be,again, forced to field first teamers, limiting exposure that the previous batch of young and fringe players used to enjoy.

  4. I hate it when people say they speak for most fans… Yadda yadda… You don’t speak for me!

  5. Surely Denilson and Bendtner don’t want to play for us. (And I think we don’t need them too)

    I only waiting for 1 player, Ryo, but I think he needs another loan spell.

    Palace loosing Zaha, so I hope they take Ryo on loan, so Ryo still play in PL.

  6. Hate to sound cynical but nobody on that list currently fills me with much optimism. There are the obvious candidates for the exit door, having failed to make it at premiership level. Then a group of young players at lower league clubs here and abroad, but none really making waves. Finally in Frimpong and Ryo we have two injury plagued guys, who should by now have cemented squad places. We have to hope that one or two from the second two categories can kick on and make a breakthrough.

    Thinking back to Wilshere at Bolton and (dare I say it?) Cole at Palace, it was clear from the outset that they were destined for the top. Just can’t feel the same right now, but would love to be proved wrong.

  7. Of all loanees, I would only give Ryo & Aneke a chance as fringe players next season. Otherwise majority are deadwood! Talk of Chamack, Denilson, Santos etc. On that list add Squillaci, Arshavin, Diaby etc Just wipe them out to save wages & create space for the best 25 that can compete for trophies next season.
    The problem is that we are signing players like Sanogo and failing to compete for Higuan and Stovic!!! This is like clearing deadwood and attracting the same !!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. Peter,
    please explain how we are failing to compete for Higuan and “Stovic” (think you mean Jovetic?).
    Are you doing the negotiations or following them from close distance? We haven’t got a clue what is going on except the usual rubbish that is published on the internet and in the media.
    Hell apart from the media trying to sell that we are after them we don’t even know that we are interested in them. And at the end of the day it is all speculation and some are falling for the speculation.

  9. @Bob,
    You’ve spotted a real omission there.
    And I think Miquel has much to offer us.

  10. Chuks, Gnabry and Miquel look the most likley but I suspect only as cover or in the league cup/FA cup. Its hard for academy players to break through and that’s how it should be. A Wilshere is a rare gem, we are still producing quality but not always AW’s ‘top top’ quality. Let’s just trust him to bring the players through and new blood in

  11. Since when have we get the habbit of naming everyone deadwood? Its seems that there are only two types of players now deadwood or would be deadwood!!

    I can understand using that name for Squ, Park, Charmarkh but new young players? They are not even grown tress and people call them deadwood.

    By the way, some players are there as spares. May be you do not even see them on the bench since fortunately, no first team got injured but you do not call the spare tire in your car useless dead weight. Think about the season before when there were no full backs and all CB were deployed to cover the back.

    Those “spares” are either one of the three

    1) young and inexperienced looking for a chance to shine
    2) experienced not so good players but can make up the number to a certain extend although they will be attacked by the opponent as a weakness
    3) good player but no ambition at all. Happy to be sitting around getting money that a smaller club can’t afford

    The last two will cost quite a bit of salary and the first, are acquired by the transfers. And people also hate about those transdfers. “Wenger does it again… here comes young boy again”. So they say.

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