Ranking Arsenal Players Most Likely to Be Sold or Loaned Out in January
Although it's still only October, several Arsenal players will already have their eyes on a loan move in January.
For some, it's an opportunity to escape a situation at the Emirates Stadium where they have fallen out of favour. It can offer them a chance to put themselves in the shop window for a permanent move.
For younger players, a loan deal offers the promise of regular first-team football and somewhere to develop their game.
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Last season, Krystian Bielik and Chuba Akpom both made loan moves midway through the season, to Birmingham City and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively.
In this piece, we have a look at the most likely candidates to make a temporary move away in the forthcoming transfer window—and they are ranked according to how likely we consider a deal to be.
8. Ainsley Maitland-Niles
England under-21 international Maitland-Niles has already had one successful loan spell, spending the 2015/16 season with Ipswich Town in the Championship.
Since then, his game has developed significantly. He has become a regular part of the Arsenal senior squad and seems to have been earmarked for a big role in the future.
The 20-year-old is unlikely to be desperate for a loan move. After all, he has already made a decent impression at first-team level this season.
Arsenal's participation in the Carabao Cup and UEFA Europa League means there are plenty of opportunities for him to play. He has already made four first-team appearances and can expect to rack up more in the coming months.
His development would probably be accelerated by regular football, but manager Arsene Wenger is unlikely to let such a versatile player leave.
Maitland-Niles is able to offer cover in central midfield or either wing-back position. For that reason, the likelihood is he will remain in north London until the end of the season.
7. Reiss Nelson
Attacking midfielder Nelson is probably the most exciting young prospect on Arsenal’s books right now. However, the presence of senior players such as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in the squad means most of the 17-year-old's opportunities are coming as an auxiliary wing-back.
Occasionally, Wenger allows a young talent to go away and blossom before recalling them to the first team. Jack Wilshere is the obvious example—with opportunities at the Emirates Stadium in short supply, the manager permitted him to spend six months at Bolton Wanderers in 2010. He returned as an established first-team player.
For the most part, though, Wenger's most prized talents are kept at close hand. The likes of Nicolas Anelka and Cesc Fabregas were never allowed out of his sight. The same may well prove to be true of Nelson—the Gunners boss might want to personally oversee his development.
6. Mathieu Debuchy
Remember him? Debuchy is very much the forgotten man of the Arsenal squad, and if he leaves on loan in January, it will be as a precursor to a permanent departure in the summer.
His move to Arsenal has been pretty disastrous. Injuries impeded his ability to make an impact early on, and the subsequent rise of Hector Bellerin effectively relegated him to the reserves.
In the 2016 winter transfer window, he joined Bordeaux on loan in an attempt to revive his international hopes, but once again the injury curse struck.
Now, the 32-year-old is stranded at the Emirates. His contract is due to expire at the end of the season, but even so, Arsenal might struggle to find clubs willing to sign him on a permanent deal. A loan could be his best option—if the Gunners can find a taker.
5. Calum Chambers
Chambers spent the entire 2016/17 campaign on loan with Middlesbrough. Although his temporary team were relegated, the defender impressed enough to earn a return to Arsenal.
Although he has subsequently been handed an extension to his contract, injury problems have restricted him to just 45 minutes of action this term.
With the security of a new deal behind him, Chambers might consider another loan move. At 22, he is approaching the age where he needs to play regularly—and there would be plenty of clubs interested in a deal for the England under-21 international.
However, Arsenal may not have the requisite depth to let Chambers go. Laurent Koscielny has a persistent Achilles problem, and if Wenger has any concerns about the Frenchman's fitness, he will be loath to lose another centre-half.
4. Joe Willock
When it came to naming the most exciting prospects at Arsenal, not too many Gunners fans had Willock on their radar prior to the summer of 2017. If anything, it was his older brother, Chris, who was more frequently talked about.
However, while Chris joined Benfica permanently this summer, Joe found himself called up to take part in pre-season with the senior squad.
He has impressed with his combination of athleticism and technique, and he was particularly good in Arsenal's win over BATE Borisov.
Realistically, the 18-year-old is going to struggle to hold down a regular place this season, so a loan move could be a smart way of making sure he continues to progress.
3. Chuba Akpom
At 22, Akpom has already had five loan spells. He has been on the books at Brentford, Coventry City, Nottingham Forest, Hull City and Brighton but has largely struggled to recapture the brilliant goalscoring form he showed in Arsenal's academy sides.
It's difficult to envisage him making a career for himself at Arsenal, but a loan move could make sense in January nonetheless. It would offer him one final chance to catch Wenger's eye as well as being a platform to demonstrate his talent to other potential suitors.
2. Krystian Bielik
Powerful centre-half Bielik enjoyed a good loan spell with Birmingham last season, and he probably would have been sent out again were it not for an early-season injury.
When January rolls around, it's likely he will return to gain more invaluable experience in the Championship. Wenger will be keen to find a destination where the 19-year-old is guaranteed to play, in order to help him make up for lost time.
1. Jeff Reine-Adelaide
Not long ago, Arsenal tongues were wagging about the imminent first-team breakthrough of Reine-Adelaide.
Every time supporters caught a glimpse of the France youth international, he demonstrated a remarkable balance of immaculate technique and raw physical power. At his best, his displays recalled the promise of Abou Diaby.
However, the 19-year-old has not sufficiently kicked on. Injuries have played their part—Reine-Adelaide spent much of pre-season in rehabilitation.
Perhaps what he needs now is a change of scenery to reignite his stalling development. A loan move to a club in the lower reaches of the Premier League, or even Ligue 1, could prove beneficial to all parties.
James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and follows the club from a London base. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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