The Magnificent seven: What to do with 7 Arsenal loanees?

While preparing his team for the final Premier League round and a slight possibility that they will still play the Europa League, Mikel Arteta is also taking a good, hard look on his squad. After the season ends, the Spaniard, who is likely to stay, even with the worst result than is precedeer Emeri Unai, will sit over with the sports director Edu and decide how to shape the squad for the season 2021/11.

And they will start with their loaned players first, in order to calculate is there a player our there who could be of help in the new season. There won’t be so much money for transfers, so evaluating own players is a first list on the agenda. The Gunners currently have seven senior loanees: Joe Willock, William Saliba, Matteo Guendouzi, Sead Kolasinac, Lucas Torreira, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Konstantinos Mavropanos.

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Out of the mentioned players, Joe Willock had the best season. The young midfielder has scored seven goals for Newcastle in 13 apperances, and he wasn’t even starter in some of those games. In fact, the 21-year old has become the youngest player in Premier League history to score in six successive games. The lack of goals from midfield is one of Arsenal’s weak areas, and Willock would fit in perfectly, if Arsenal fails to buy Martin Odegaard. However, if the Norwegian is avaliable, and the Gunners need funds, Willock will move to Newcastle.

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Unlike Willock, Matteo Guendouzi will probably be sold in the upcoming transfer windows. The Frenchman, payed a little over 1.2 billion Ksh to Lorient in 2018 has been out of favor (unilke Willock, who needed playing time) and didn’t impress at struggling Hertha in Bundesliga, and he has no future under Mikel Arteta.

Lucas Torreira will be an easy decision since he desires to be transfered. The player publically stated, after his mother died, that he played in Europe long enough and that he want’s to play for Boca Juniors. But, whishes are one thing and reality another. Can Boka pay the transfer fee? Arsenal bought Torreira for around 4 billion Ksh and the Argentinians don’t have that kind of money. It’s a question do they have enought to cover his wages, if a loan is considered (Torreira is on a 11.5 million Ksh weekly wage). Also, Atletico has an option to buy out Torreira at the end of his loan.

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William Saliba falls into Joe Willock category, which means that he will be carefully evaluated and considered. He was sent to loan to Nice, without making a senior apperance for Arsenal, and played regularly for the French club, even got the Player of the Month award in January. Even Arteta admitted that the defeneder had made "massive improvements".

Ainsley Maitland-Niles is another player who was liked by Arteta, but struggled for playing time, so he went to West Bromwich Albion. After a good half-season, he attracted a lot of attention from Crystal Palace, Leeds, Wolves, Newcastle, even Leicester. If he is surplus of requirements, he will be sold easily.

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Sead Kolasinac went back to his old club Schalke in December, but was unable to prevent the famous German club from relegation, so he will come back to London. Considering that the 27-years old is signed until 2022, a transfer back to Schalke or Lazio is on the cards.

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Konstantinos Mavropanos was loaned to VfB Stuttgart, and it was a successful loan for the Greek. In fact, he has publically stated that the Germans already contracted Arsenal in order to arrange another season long loan. Stuttgart don’t have a big budget, so another loan works out for everybody.