Arsenal currently have seven senior players out on loan and in the cases of most of them, for one reason or another, their futures with the club are up in the air. As Mikel Arteta looks to build his own team, plenty of work has gone on behind the scenes with regards to improving the squad, and that involves offloading players as well as recruiting.
Many of those signed under the previous regime have been moved out on loan after the club failed to raise the transfer funds they might have hoped for from sales last summer.
At 90min, we took a look at how some of the more high-profile players are getting on with their current clubs.
1. Lucas Torreira
Current club: Atletico Madrid
Deal: Season-long loan
The 25-year-old had fallen out of favour at the Emirates Stadium by the time he left for Spain last October. Signed from Sampdoria in 2018 for £25m, the Arsenal faithful had high hopes for the Uruguayan, however, it has since come to light that the boss at the time, Unai Emery would have preferred to have signed Steven Nzonzi.
The player has been quoted as saying he struggled to adapt to life in London which may have contributed to his inconsistent form, but his move to Spain thus far hasn't worked out as he may have hoped. He's started just three times in La Liga this season, so he's had very few opportunities to prove himself, however, it's tough to argue with Diego Simeone's decisions considering the club sit top of the division.
2. Matteo Guendouzi
Current club: Hertha Berlin
Deal: Season-long loan
Concerns over his attitude saw Matteo Guendouzi sent out to the Bundesliga club on loan. The 21-year-old wears his heart on his sleeve but at times, most notably at Brighton, he has allowed his emotions to get the better of him. And this is a trait that has been picked up on by Pal Dardai, his current boss, who described him recently as going through football "puberty".
He's made 20 appearances for Hertha Berlin in the German top-flight and his average performance rating, according to WhoScored, stands at 6.79/10.
Guendouzi is playing regular football, but he has hardly pulled up any trees.
3. William Saliba
Current club: Nice
Deal: Season-long loan
William Saliba hadn't made a single competitive appearance for the Gunners by the time he was sent out on loan in January. A deal was in place for him to return to Saint-Etienne at the end of the summer transfer window but the two clubs failed to get the move completed in time to meet the deadline.
The player has been very vocal about his frustrations with Arteta, and to be fair to the 20-year-old, he is doing a great job of proving him wrong in Ligue 1. He's made 12 appearances in the French top-flight under Adrian Ursea and has earned rave reviews.
Arsenal insist he remains part of their plans moving forward and having spent £27m to sign him back in the summer of 2019, you can bet they will want to start seeing a return on that investment.
4. Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Current club: West Brom
Deal: Season-long loan
Maitland-Niles made his name at Arsenal filling in at full-back but has never made any secret of his desire to play in midfield. Despite being just 23 years old, he has 121 Gunners appearances to his name but it is clear the player himself wished to go out on loan and prove himself in his favoured position.
When he opted to join the Baggies over Southampton because Sam Allardyce provided him with guarantees of playing in his preferred role, many raised their eyebrows. He's been a regular at the Hawthorns, playing in central midfield, but if the truth be told, playing in a struggling side has not done him any favours.
Arsenal had the opportunity to sell Maitland-Niles to Wolves last summer and rejected the approach. Based on how things have gone for him so far this season, his stock has certainly not risen.
5. Joe Willock
Current club: Newcastle United
Deal: Season-long loan
Willock scored three goals and provided three assists in the UEFA Europa League for the Gunners during the group stage. However, he was unable to replicate that form in the Premier League when given the opportunity.
Given he is just 21 years old, the opportunity to go to a fellow Premier League club made sense for a player in need of more minutes. He's scored just the one goal for the Magpies since moving to St. James' Park but in fairness to him, Steve Bruce's side have only managed six league goals overall since he came into the side.
You get the feeling Arsenal may look to cash in on Willock come the summer as he is clearly not in Arteta's plans moving forwards.
6. Konstantinos Mavropanos
Current club: Stuttgart
Deal: Season-long loan
Mavropanos spent last season on loan with FC Nürnberg in Germany and returned to the country this season too - this time with Stuttgart. When he was signed from PAS Giannina in 2018, even those immersed in Greek football were shocked to see a club as big as Arsenal move for the relatively unknown defender.
He's settled well with the Bundesliga club despite suffering from a torn meniscus back in October. It's unclear what Mikel Arteta has in mind for the 23-year-old when his current loan spell expires at the end of the season.
With Saliba also due to return this summer, he may find it difficult to break into the squad and so a permanent move away feels like a real possibility.
7. Sead Kolasinac
Current club: Schalke
Deal: Season-long loan
Despite the risk of leaving himself desperately short of left-back cover, the Arsenal boss opted to allow Sead Kolasinac to return to his former club on loan for the second half of the season.
Schalke are rock bottom of the Bundesliga and have endured a disastrous campaign. His displays have been somewhat underwhelming and according to WhoScored, his average performance rating stands at 6.37/10 - which is disappointing.
His current Arsenal contract is due to expire at the end of next season and with the club having terminated numerous deals early in recent months, could we see Kolasinac shown the door this summer? It's a real possibility.
Source : 90min