How Arsenal's 21 loanees fared in 2023-24 season as Mikel Arteta eyes new squad options

Arsenal's 21 loanees have had a mixed bag of a season in 2023-24, as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his squad options. The Gunners may still be aiming to clinch their first Premier League title in 20 years, but for many of their players, the campaign has already drawn to a close.

While Arteta's men continue their quest to topple Manchester City, a host of young talents have been showcasing their skills across Europe and beyond, hoping to secure a spot in North London this summer.

As is often the case, stepping out of academy football can present its challenges, and several of Arsenal's prospects have faced tough times. However, others have thrived and could even attract transfer interest this summer if not from Mikel Arteta.

Let's take a look at how Arsenal's loanees have fared....

Marquinhos

The Brazilian initially went on loan to Nantes in Ligue 1 but struggled to make his mark, prompting a further move in January. The 21-year-old switched to Fluminense and has since become a regular, netting twice in four Copa Libertadores matches.

Marquinhos will stay in his home country on loan until January 2025.

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Kieran Tierney

Real Sociedad loanee and defender, who has shown glimpses of his prowess albeit disrupted by injuries, could well leave Arsenal this summer. In a recent interview, he said: "So if I go back and it's the same as before then I'm not silly, I know the chances are I'll be leaving."

Albert Sambi Lokonga

The midfielder, despite an injury-hit start, is enjoying a regular run in the Premier League with Luton Town. The 24-year-old's goal against West Ham was notable, even though it didn't stop Luton from slipping further towards relegation.

Arthur Okonkwo

Amongst the shining stars of Arsenal's loaned out players, the young goalkeeper has successfully guided Wrexham to League Two promotion, having maintained 14 clean sheets and allowing only 30 goals across 36 games. "Obviously we're keen to keep Arthur and we're working on that," said Phil Parkinson, the team's manager, when talking to BBC Sport Wales.

Nuno Tavares

With just 12 outings for Nottingham Forest, the full-back is unlikely to have convinced Arsenal about his prospect of breaking into their team.

Catalin Cirjan

The Romanian midfielder has spent the season on loan with Rapid Bucuresti and made 19 appearances. The 21-year-old has only seen the bench in recent weeks outside of a 10-minute outing in a loss to Cluj.

Mauro Bandeira

Mauro Bandeira endured a difficult loan at Colchester United under a number of managers. The midfielder made nine appearances for the League Two side but was recalled to the Gunners in January when opportunities became limited.

The 20-year-old was twice named on Arsenal's bench in February.

Billy Vigar

Another player set to see their contract end this summer, Vigar scored twice in 32 matches for National League South side Eastbourne Borough.

Hubert Graczyk

The goalkeeper endured a very brief time away from the club at Slough Town. The stopper conceded eight goals in his four matches and lost three of them before Arsenal recalled him after the National League South side signed another keeper.

Mike Biereth

The Dane spent the first part of the season on loan at Motherwell and delivered six goals and five assists in 14 appearances before making the switch to Sturm Graz. Things continued to go well as the youngster bagged five goals and two assists in the Bundesliga and added three more goals in four Europa Conference League outings.

"I have a year left on my contract, so when I come back in the summer I will still be an Arsenal player. It's just about getting back and seeing if I can impress the boss," Biereth remarked last month, despite Arsenal turning down a bid for a permanent transfer in January.

Charlie Patino

Charlie Patino is tipped to depart this summer after his loan at Swansea concludes. His first start since January came on the Championship season's final day, contributing to his 35 appearances this term.

With links to Juventus and Roma, Patino's future is a hot topic.

Brook Norton-Cuffy

The promising 20-year-old, notched two goals and four assists across 40 games for Millwall, although his game time dipped towards the season's end. Post-Neil Harris' arrival, breaking into the starting lineup proved challenging, but Norton-Cuffy reflects positively on his campaign.

"There's been a few ups-and-downs," he admitted in April. "I've played a lot of minutes and had a lot of starts and that's been good. But I've had a few injuries and that's slowed down my season a little bit. Overall it's been a decent season personally and most games I've been fit, I've played some part in."

Tyreece John-Jules

John-Jules endured a challenging season, with injuries hampering the young striker's progress. A thigh injury disrupted his initial loan spell, but a goal upon return had Derby County eager to extend his stay.

However, a hamstring setback at the year's start prematurely ended his campaign.

Salah-Eddine Oulad M'Hand

His situation remains to be seen as the summer approaches.

The central midfielder secured a loan move to Den Bosch in the Dutch second tier and, despite lengthy periods out of the squad, has established himself as a regular in their starting XI as the season draws to a close. The player has contributed three goals in 19 appearances.

Nathan Butler-Oyedeji

The striker made 13 substitute appearances for Cheltenham Town before being recalled halfway through his loan spell with the League One outfit.

Alex Kirk

The central defender broke into Bromley's first team in December and played a key role in their promotion via the play-offs. Kirk featured in 22 games, including coming off the bench to play an hour in the play-off final penalty shootout victory.

Bromley manager and ex-Arsenal coach Andy Woodman is keen to keep him at the club. "Yeah (I'd like to bring him back). There will be a lot of discussions to be had between now and next week, so we will get on that next week," he commented.

Kido Taylor-Hart

The forward experienced a tougher stint at Bromley compared to his colleague, managing only one goal in nine outings.

Henry Jeffcott

The versatile defender spent the initial part of the campaign on loan with Derby's under-21s but saw his loan cut short as Arsenal faced a shortage of options following Lino Sousa's departure. Upon returning, Jeffcott found it challenging to secure playing time with the Gunners' Premier League 2 side.

Omar Rekik

After a stint at Wigan in the first half of the season, Rekik's fortunes took a turn for the worse. Arsenal arranged for the midfielder to join Swiss club Servette on loan, only for him to be left unregistered alongside two other new arrivals, rendering him unable to play in the league.

Khayon Edwards

He made the switch to Leyton Orient for the latter part of the season, but his impact was limited to just seven showings despite a promising start with seven goals in 11 Premier League 2 matches for Arsenal.

Zane Monlouis

Monlouis' move to Reading in February resulted in a solitary appearance for the Royals.

Charles Sagoe Jr

The youngster faced challenges after his loan move to Swansea in February, managing only two appearances. Swans manager Luke Williams opened up to WalesOnline about the difficulty of the situation: "It's really tough. So tough. There's nothing easy about that situation for him. Or for me. It's just really difficult. There's too many players for everyone to be on the pitch. Too many players for everyone to be in the squad. Unfortunately, some people are going to miss out."

Williams praised Sagoe Jr's professionalism, saying, "His attitude has been first class. He's been absolutely first class. What the players in the derby are able to produce, it has directly a bearing on the attitude of the players who are not in front of the eyes of the fans. We cannot make this performance if we don't train in this way."