This season Last Word on Sports will be keeping you up to date on the Arsenal players out on loan, as they continue to develop their skills and prove they are ready to compete for a place in the Arsenal side.
The players away on loan are:
- Wojciech Szczesny (GK), on loan to AS Roma in Serie A
- Carl Jenkinson (RB), on loan to West Ham United in the Premier League
- Yaya Sanogo (ST), on loan to Ajax in the Eredivisie
- Serge Gnabry (MID), on loan to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League
- Ainsley Maitland-Niles (MID), on loan to Ipswich Town in the Championship
- Isaac Hayden (CB/MID), on loan to Hull City in the Championship
- Chuba Akpom (ST), on loan to Hull City in the Championship
- Jon Toral (MID), on loan to Birmingham City in the Championship
- Emiliano Martinez (GK), on loan to Wolves in the Championship
- Wellington Silva (MID), on loan to Bolton in the Championship
- Gedion Zelalem (MID), on loan to Rangers in the Scottish Championship
A Jon Toral goal was the highlight of the week for Arsenal’s players out on loan, while an Emiliano Martinez injury is a cause for concern for the player and for Wolves, where he has been performing quite well. Here’s a summary of all the action for Arsenal loanees from the past week.
Wojciech Szczesny kept a clean sheet over the weekend as Roma beat Lazio 2-0 in Serie A. It was not a busy afternoon for Szczesny, who had a relatively easy go of it. Nonetheless, the result will be confidence builder after a rough outing midweek in Champions League action, as Roma defeated Leverkusen 3-2. Roma led 2-0 and nearly threw the game away before scoring the winner late.
Carl Jenkinson started and completed the 90 minutes as West Ham drew 1-1 with Everton. It was a relatively quiet afternoon for Jenkinson, who was rarely called into action defensively, and also did not get forward in attack as much as is normal. The Arsenal man had only one interception, one clearance, and one block. He did have a chance to score the winner, forcing a save from Everton’s Tim Howard in the 85th minute.
Yaya Sanogo did not feature for Ajax.
Serge Gnabry did not play in West Brom’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester United, as speculation about the winger’s loan spell continued.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles came on as a 66th minute substitute as Ipswich won 5-2 at Rotherham United. It was a bright spell for Maitland-Niles, though the game had been long since decided when he came on.
Isaac Hayden came on in the 87th minute of Hull’s 3-0 win against Middlesbrough. Teammate Chuba Akpom also came on as a substitute, entering in the 72nd minute. Neither had much of an impact on the game, though neither was asked to, as the result was no longer in question by the time either entered the pitch.
Jon Toral got on the scoresheet, scoring in Birmingham’s 5-2 win at Fulham. Toral’s goal made the score 3-0 just before the halftime break. He was lively throughout the game, creating three chances before coming off in the 80th minute. Toral also made the pass that put team-mate Clayton Dona in on goal to draw a penalty for Birmingham’s second goal in the 22nd minute.
Asked about his team’s five goals, Toral said:
“Every time we got near their box we felt we had a chance of scoring.”
For his full interview, check the video below.
Emiliano Martinez helped Wolves keep a clean sheet in their 0-0 draw with Burnley. The Arsenal man made three saves early, all in the first 20 minutes, two in the first three minutes. Martinez had to come out of the game early in the second half with an apparent groin injury.
Wellington Silva missed Bolton’s 0-0 draw with Bristol City due to injury.
Gedion Zelalem made his return to the starting eleven, going the full 90 minutes in Rangers’ 4-0 win against Alloa Athletic. The youngster perhaps should have scored in the first half, but luckily his team didn’t pay for the spurned chance, winning easily. Zelalem will now head to Brazil, where the USA U-23 team will take on Brazil twice over the international break as they prepare for their upcoming Olympic qualification playoff.
