Arsenal agree second deal of January window as Marquinhos loaned out again

Arsenal winger Marquinhos has made a swift return to Brazil on loan.

The 21-year-old has joined Cruzeiro on a temporary deal until December, having only recently returned from a year-long loan spell with Fluminense that included an option for a permanent transfer that was not triggered.

“Everyone at the club wishes Marquinhos all the best for his loan spell with Cruzeiro and look forward to seeing his continued development,” Arsenal said in a statement.

Former Sao Paulo youngster Marquinhos made a total of 29 appearances after initially heading back to his native Brazil last February, scoring twice and registering two assists as he helped Fluminense to win the Recopa Sudamericana - a match-up between the holders of the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.

Now he heads back to the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, which resumes in March and runs until December. Cruzeiro play in the Campeonato Mineiro from January until March.

Arsenal saw off plenty of rival transfer interest to secure the signing of a then 19-year-old Marquinhos from Sao Paulo in the summer of 2022 for a fee of around £3million on a long-term contract, continuing their push for young South American talent after the success of Gabriel Martinelli following his own move from Ituano as a teenager in 2019.

He was dubbed by compatriot and former sporting director Edu as a player for the future, but is yet to make an impact with the Gunners, having made only a handful of cup appearances and only one in total in the Premier League - replacing Bukayo Saka in stoppage time of a 3-0 win at London rivals Brentford in September 2022.

Instead Marquinhos has now been dispatched for four successive loan spells away from north London, having also spent the first half of last season in France with Nantes before being recalled and the last months of the 2022/23 campaign in the Championship at Norwich.

Marquinhos - who is capped for Brazil at up to Under-23 level - is clearly not yet considered a viable first-team option by manager Mikel Arteta, despite Arsenal being badly in need of attacking reinforcements at present.

The Gunners’ struggles in front of goal were further highlighted during a wasteful performance in the 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg tie, as well as in the preceding 1-1 draw at Brighton that saw them drop more points in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal are without attacking talisman Saka until at least March after he underwent surgery on a torn hamstring last month, with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, Ethan Nwaneri and Kai Havertz all having also been dealing with either injuries or illness of late.

Academy graduate Charles Sagoe Jr recently saw a stint at League One strugglers Shrewsbury terminated early, but he seems most likely to be sent out on loan again this month. Arsenal also allowed young defender Josh Robinson to complete a permanent move to third-tier Wigan last week.