Arsenal make noticeable change in loan policy

Arsenal loaned out a surprisingly small number of players this summer, in a marked change from their 2023 business.

On deadline day, Arsenal loaned Reiss Nelson to Fulham to complete their outgoing business, with Nelson becoming their seventh loan departure of the summer.

The Gunners technically have eight players on loan at the moment, but Marquinhos moved to Fluminense in January, and he’ll be returning midway through the current campaign – if Fluminense opt not to activate their option to buy.

As for the other six, Fabio Vieira moved to FC Porto, Nuno Tavares to Lazio, Albert Sambi Lokonga to Sevilla, Karl Hein to Real Valladolid, Charles Sagoe Jr. to Shrewsbury Town, and Jack Henry-Francis to Sligo Rovers.

By contrast, Arsenal sent 21 players out on loan in the 2023 summer window.

Many fans might not have noticed the sharp decrease in loan outgoings, because the number of senior loans barely changed.

Arsenal loaned out Lokonga, Runar Alex Runarsson, Kieran Tierney, Marquinhos, Nuno Tavares, and Arthur Okonkwo in 2023, compared to the five senior players they’ve sent out in 2024.

The difference is in academy loans, with 15 youth players signing for senior clubs in 2023/24, and just two this time around.

That total isn’t final, with some transfer windows still open in other countries. A player could head out on loan to Brazil or Portugal or the Netherlands in the coming days.

But most of Arsenal’s youth loans are usually to lower-league English clubs, and the EFL window is now closed.

So why the change? Arsenal have a relatively bright crop of youth players coming through, with the likes of Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ayden Heaven, and others impressing at the moment. It shouldn’t be too hard to find them good clubs.

The answer is likely twofold. For a start, players like Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are in line for first-team minutes with Arsenal. At their young ages, they shouldn’t be desperate for a starting spot yet, and Arsenal themselves can offer them senior experience.

The chance to keep training with the Arsenal first team, making the bench and playing minutes when possible, should still be an attractive option for those youngsters.

The other reason is that Arsenal had a particularly disappointing season of youth loans in 2023/24. Most players didn’t play regular football, and a few returned without really playing at all.

It was important to take more care with loan destinations this time around, and it seems that’s what Arsenal have done. Quality at the expense of quantity.

There will be opportunities to loan youth players out in January, but in the meantime, playing u21 football is arguably better than just sitting on the bench every week for a lower-league side.