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. Earlier this week, Part 1 of this early season update covered Wojciech Szczesny, Carl Jenkinson, Yaya Sanogo, Serge Gnabry, Isaac Hayden, and Chuba Akpom.
Here’s Part 2, with updates on Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Daniel Crowley, Jon Toral, Emiliano Martinez, Wellington Silva, and Gedion Zelalem.
One fifth of the way through the season, it’s been an up and down season for Arsenal loanees, with some players making regular starts and others rarely playing, and the same goes for performance. A few players have been consistent performers for their teams, while others have been inconsistent at best.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has, as many of these players, had an up and down season so far. Maintland-Niles was quite good early in the season when Ipswich started the season with four games unbeaten, averaging two chances created per game and showing the quality that has people excited. His form has dipped with his club’s form, as Ipswich has won just one of their last six, and Maitland-Niles has been less than impressive. He has started eight of ten games, and played in all 10, so consistent minutes are definitely a good sign for his continued development.
Daniel Crowley is off to a less than scintillating start for Barnsley in League One. In 11 league games, Crowley has made four starts and come off the bench four times, but has yet to pick up a goal or an assist. He does have one goal in cup action, but the lack of consistent minutes and offensive production will be a concern for the development of what’s supposed to be a creative midfielder. Crowley has shown the potential in his time with the Arsenal youth teams and in moments for Barnsley, but needs to start showing it more consistently in competitive matches in order to take the next step in his growth.
Jon Toral’s season started off brightly, as he started each of Birmingham’s first six games, picking up two goals along the way. Unfortunately, following a particularly poor performance in a loss to Nottingham Forest, Toral has played in only one of Birmingham’s last four games in the league. The fast start is encouraging, and Toral’s ability to put the ball in the net from time to time give more cause for optimism. For the most part, when Birmingham have played in a 4-2-3-1, Toral has been the central attacking midfielder. Though they went away from that for a few games, reports are that they are likely to return to the formation, suggesting Toral may be in line for more minutes in the near future.
After rotating games early in the season with Wolves mainstay Carl Ikeme, Emiliano Martinez seems to have cemented his place in the starting eleven with a string of strong performances for Wolverhampton. Martinez has started the last five league games for Wolves, picking up three clean sheets along the way. Earlier this year, Wolves boss Kenny Jackett backed Martinez to have a strong season, saying:
I believe in the player. He’s had a shaky game or two, on Saturday we saw what he’s capable of. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Emi Martinez, I think he’s going to have a top season. He’s very bubbly and I fully expect to build on Saturday and go from strength to strength.
Wellington Silva has started six of seven games for Botlon since his debut for the side. He picked up his first goal for the club in their most recent game, a 4-3 loss to QPR in which Wellington came on and scored a late equalizer before QPR won in stoppage time. He’s been lively in attack, particularly in recent games and Bolton will need him to continue to be dangerous, as they’ve shipped 10 goals in their last three games.
Gedion Zelalem is almost certainly off to the most productive start of the season. The young American has made five appearances for Rangers in league play and two cup appearances and quickly becoming one of Rangers most important attacking players. With two assists in his debut and a handful more since then, Zelalem has regularly displayed the attacking prowess that has Arsenal fans and United States national team fans so excited. His smooth dribbling and ability to pick out and make decisive passes in the final third have been key for Rangers. Playing in the Scottish Second division has also allowed Zelalem to work on his physicality, something he’ll need to continue to improve before he’s ready for the Premier League.
