Arsene Wenger is reportedly lining up a selection of his young players to go out on loan within the next week.
The Arsenal boss has seen loan spells for Jack Wilshere, Wojciech Szczesny and Aaron Ramsey rewarded in the past two seasons and is now looking to stregthen some of his other teenagers and fringe players by loaning them out for some first team action.
Here, talkSPORT selects 10 players who could be available in January and what they could bring to your team…
Oguzhan Ozyakup
AGE: 19
POSITION: Central midfielder
STRENGTHS: Technically gifted, brilliant ability to read the game and experienced at international youth level (he captained Holland U17s to the European finals). Ozyakup is one of Wenger's brightest prospects and is cited as the next Fabregas.
WEAKNESSES: No Premier League experience and will struggle to get opportunities with the pile of central midfielders currently at the Emirates.
CLUBS INTERESTED: Genk and Anderlecht are hoping to take him in January.
THEY SAY: "There’s an 18-year-old Dutch-Turkish central midfielder, Oguzhan Ozyakup, who reminds me of Fabregas." - Gary Glessing, Arsenal Youth set-up.
Craig Eastmond
AGE: 20
POSITION: Central midfielder
STRENGTHS: A converted right-back, Eastmond's hard-working ethic makes him an assiduous central midfielder.
WEAKNESSES: A broken ankle ended his loan spell with Millwall last season but, now back to full fitness, Eastmond needs first team action to realise his potential and hone his attacking skills.
THEY SAY: “We are happy to have him here because we have quite a number of injuries at the moment. I’ve got confidence in him in a player because I think he is a good player." - Kenny Jackett, Millwall manager, January 2011
Gavin Hoyte
AGE: 21
POSITION: Right-back or centre-back
STRENGTHS: Younger brother of former Gunner Justin, Gavin's main strength is his pace. Hoyte is also versatile and can switch across the back line. He has played at England youth level, in the Carling Cup for Arsenal and started a Premier League game against Manchester City in 2008, which Arsenal lost.
WEAKNESSES: Injuries have plagued his season and with Carl Jenkinson doing well as cover for Bacary Sagna, Hoyte will be lucky to get a sniff at the first team. A lack of Premier League experience means he is likely to join a Championship side.
THEY SAY: "Gavin is a great lad and a very good player as he proved while he was here and of course I've thought about bringing him back." Lincoln City manager Steve Tilson, where Hoyte was on loan last season until sustaining an injury, July 2011
Daniel Boateng
AGE: 19
POSITION: Centre-back
STRENGTHS: A versatile and powerful defender, Boateng's physical strength is his main attribute. He can play anywhere across the back four and has great leadership skills, having captained the reserve team many times last season. He is highly respected by players and managers alike.
WEAKNESSES: Little experience at the highest level and this sometimes shows with lapses in concentration that can lead to vital errors. His positioning also needs improving.
THEY SAY: “He can be good because he is young, but he comes from a top club. He has played some two years in their reserves and he captained them last year. He is another who can stretch my squad because he can cover two positions.” - Paolo Di Canio, Swindon Town manager, whom Boateng was going to join on loan during the summer.
CHUKS ANEKE
AGE: 18
POSITION: Attacking midfielder
STRENGTHS: The Arsenal boss is a big admirer of the statuesque midfielder. Aneke's intelligence and power means he scores goals and holds up play well as a box-to-box midfielder.
WEAKNESSES: Needs first team experience, which he won't get at Arsenal at present with their abundance of central midfielders.
CLUBS INTERESTED: Wolves, West Brom and Wigan
THEY SAY: "Chuks is a bit like Yaya Toure – he has body power and good technique. We had Yaya here [on trial] and for me Chuks is a bit similar because he can play behind the striker or in a deeper role as well." - Arsene Wenger, October 2011
Francis Coquelin
AGE: 20
POSITION: Defensive midfielder
STRENGTHS: The young Frenchman impressed during a loan spell with Lorient last season and with some cameo appearances for the first team so far this season, but is keen on a move away from Arsenal due to a lack of action. There is strong competition between Coquelin and Frimpong to gain a place in the team, though the former is more visionary and technically cleaner with the ball.
WEAKNESSES: Has made it clear he would prefer a permanent move, but needs a good run in the league to prove his strength and add some more aggression going forward.
HE SAYS: "He is more a player who likes to cover ground than a player who starts from the back in a tactical position, he likes to be involved at the heart of things. A player's position has to suit his personality. When that is not the case, in the long-term you have no chance." - Arsene Wenger, October 2011
Emmanuel Frimpong
AGE: 19
POSITION: Defensive midfielder
STRENGTHS: Power, drive and passion. Frimpong has endeared himself to Arsenal's fans already this season with some strong performances, but with Jack Wilshere set to return to fitness in January, the young Ghanaian could struggle to get much first team action.
WEAKNESSES: Can lack concentration and sometimes loses his head (he picked up a red card on his Premier League debut this year). His passing can be erratic and is nowhere near as reliable as Alex Song's.
CLUBS INTERESTED: Norwich, Swansea and Bolton.
THEY SAY: “They’ve done well, they are always eager to play and train extremely hard. It means there’s a bit of competition in there now and everybody is working hard. Everybody is keeping each other on their toes and it’s nice to have that competition.” - Aaron Ramsey on Frimpong and Coquelin, October 2011
Ignasi Miquel
AGE: 19
POSITION: Centre-back
STRENGTHS: Ignasi briefly broke into the first team at the beginning of the season when injuries left the Arsenal back-line threadbare. The Spanish defender has height, composure and brilliant leadership skills, which he has proved as reserve team captain for the past season.
WEAKNESSES: Can succumb to the usual Arsenal problem of losing his position.; He's unlikely to get much first team action in the league with Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen and Djourou ahead of him in the pecking order.
THEY SAY: "He is not yet ready [for Premier League or Champions League] but he did enough to show that he will play in the Premier League and the Champions League, I feel that is the most important thing. He has some aspects of his game that he has to work on, to be a bit more committed in the challenges and better in the air. But overall he has shown that he has the potential to play in there." - Arsene Wenger, February 2011
Ryo Miyaichi
AGE: 18
POSITION: Winger
STRENGTHS: Incredible pace, skill and hard-working attitude, the Japanese teenager is held in high regard by Wenger, who has suggested he will be ready for first team action in the new year. A loan spell with Feyenoord at the end of last season was a great success.
WEAKNESSES: His lack of strength could be a problem in the Premier League. A loan spell would let him experience the physicality of the league, without it affecting the Gunners' performances.
THEY SAY: "Ryo is a guy with heart. I don't think he played long enough and we were in a position where we had to defend more than we could attack, but you could see straight away that his heart, his determination and his pace in the game are big assets." - Arsene Wenger after match with Bolton, October 2011
Lukasz Fabianski
AGE: 26
POSITION: Goalkeeper
STRENGTHS: Looking to boost his chances of making Poland's Euro 2012 team where he'll have to knock team mate Szczesny out of the number one spot, Fabianski is keen on a loan move. The keeper is a great shot-stopper and good against penalties.
WEAKNESSES: Known as 'Flapianski' to some Arsenal fans, the Pole has made some decisive errors in an Arsenal shirt and, after an injury last year, has struggled to get near the level of the his national team mate.
THEY SAY: "Fabianski is a top-level player, that means he is very demanding with himself. I believe he will be an outstanding goalkeeper, one of the best." - Arsene Wenger, January 2010
hope they go up.
Originally Posted by Ach
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