This season was mostly a forgettable one for the first-team, but how did the players across the club’s various levels out on loan fare?

Wojciech Szczesny

It’s clear that the Poland international has matured and benefited from experiences in Italy over the past two seasons with Roma. This season, he has kept 14 clean sheets in the league whilst performing well consistently, which will boost his chances of succeeding Cech when he returns.

Worth it? Yes

Jack Wilshere

Jack’s season prematurely ended in frustrating fashion with yet another injury, after a campaign where he was fairly injury-free and excelled as Bournemouth’s creator-in-chief, despite statistics not always showing the full story. Questions about his long-term suitability at Arsenal continue to intensify with this latest setback though.

Worth it? Yes

Takuma Asano

Although he’s yet to play for Arsenal competitively, this was an important season for the Japanese forward – his first test of European football and one that will fuel his desire for significant improvement next season.

Worth it? Yes

Chuba Akpom

Akpom’s ability at youth level is yet to transfer consistently to a competitive environment. Having just recovered from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, this loan deal was a poor one given the timing in January, which has undoubtedly hurt his confidence whilst time potentially runs out on his career at the Gunners.

Worth it? No

Calum Chambers

Chambers joined a side struggling and excelled, even when his team-mates couldn’t replicate his defensive contributions consistently enough to avoid regular league defeats. Along with Ben Gibson, one of few players who deserve praise as Boro were relegated. He earned important minutes in the top flight, which wouldn’t have been guaranteed had he remained in north London. Now though, it’s important that his development continued.

Worth it? Yes

Joel Campbell

Inconsistent is the best word to describe Campbell, as it has been for a few years now. He shows flashes of individual brilliance far too infrequently, not least at Sporting this term, to justify a regular starting berth. Although his work-rate is admirable, it’s understandable why Wenger loaned him out to begin with. His future at Arsenal is surely over.

Worth it? No

Daniel Crowley

The creative Englishman won my award for best loanee this term, though it was not an easy journey for the 19-year-old. Having had his initial loan spell with Oxford United cut short at the start of December, a move abroad to the Netherlands has seen him progress with impressive performances on a weekly basis.

Worth it? Yes

Ryan Huddart

The 20-year-old goalkeeper only made seven appearances across all competitions for National League side Eastleigh before his loan deal was unsurprisingly terminated in early January. It’s important that next time he joins a side that can guarantee him regular minutes because it’s important to be playing on a weekly basis otherwise match sharpness decreases rapidly.

Worth it? No

Jon Toral

It was a surprise that having flourished with Birmingham last season that Toral wasn’t given a chance with Arsenal’s pre-season squad. An initial loan to Granada didn’t help matters either, as he joined a side who were losing their battle to remain in La Liga and he didn’t play regularly.

Fast-forward to the end of this campaign and he has well in difficult circumstances with Rangers in Scotland. His creative ability is there for all to see but his lack of defensive contribution earned him heavy criticism from supporters this season even though he was being played out of position.

Worth it? Yes

Stefan O’Connor

The 20-year-old defender only made four appearances for MVV Maastricht, all of which were cameos during slender victories. That says all you need to know about a youngster that has been unfortunate with injuries and is likely to be released this summer.

Worth it? No

Julio Pleguezuelo

Despite starting six successive league matches for Mallorca, this loan spell has been a frustrating one for Pleguezuelo. Highly-regarded as one of the club’s brightest prospects defensively, it was important for him to be featuring far more regularly than he has done this term. Instead, he’s had to wait patiently for a chance to play in a relegation-threatened side in Spain’s second division. Far from ideal, his next move could prove a pivotal one.

Worth it? No

Tafari Moore

One of the players who featured more regularly for their side, Tafari Moore has done fairly well with Utrecht II. It’s a shame that he was only able to make one substitute appearance for the first-team, very early on, and he’ll no doubt be looking for a step-up in quality next season.

Worth it? Yes

Kelechi Nwakali

Another talented teenager that genuinely benefited from his loan spell away from Arsenal, Nwakali established himself as a mainstay within the MVV Maastricht side and his contributions have proven pivotal as they aim to secure promotion into next season’s Eredivisie in the coming weeks.

Worth it? Yes

Glen Kamara

Kamara on the other hand, only played 137 minutes of League Two action from September to January. He, like O’Connor, is expected to depart in search of pastures new this summer but Arsenal’s lack of care about the midfielder’s future is clear.

Worth it? No

Gedion Zelalem

For someone of Zelalem’s capability, he should have been playing at a higher level than the Netherlands’ Jupiler League for VVV-Venlo. Naturally, they won the league with a four-point margin but having already gone to Scotland on loan last season, this deal is clearly a backwards step.

Worth it? No

Krystian Bielik

It can often take a lot of time for new managers to develop faith in your ability, but Bielik didn’t need it after sealing his January switch to join Championship side Birmingham. 10 club appearances later, Bielik’s loan experience has been heralded as a success despite Harry Redknapp’s reluctance to use him in the final three league fixtures of the season.

Worth it? Yes

Marc Bola

Gained invaluable experience in League Two on a regular basis, which is exactly what he and Arsenal would have wanted. Will be keen to earn a better loan switch before challenging for a first-team spot in future, but this will have given him a confidence boost after such a slow start to proceedings at youth level.

Worth it? Yes

Aaron Eyoma

This move felt more like a publicity stunt than anything else, with Eyoma featuring in the fourth tier of Dutch football as opposed to playing regularly within the second division. This is why we were unable to provide any loan updates for a versatile Englishman who could also potentially leave the club this season.

Worth it? No

Kaylen Hinds

The 19-year-old forward played in a variety of different positions under Darren Sarll’s guidance at Stevenage. Despite kind words from his temporary boss, it’s clear that his attacking capability have been stifled by embracing his defensive responsibilities and he also needs a better choice of team in the summer.

Worth it? Yes

Matt Macey

Macey was progressing on a weekly basis and received praise from supporters who were already seeing noticeable improvements in his game before Arsenal’s goalkeeping crisis meant he was unfortunately recalled with six league matches left to play. Frustrating but the shot-stopper should be given another chance elsewhere after his success on this occasion. Arsenal should convince him to extend his existing deal in the meantime.

Worth it? Yes

Stephy Mavididi

Mavididi has thankfully recovered fully from his ruptured hamstring injury, which ended his promising spell at Charlton at the start of March. The striker turns 19 at the end of this month and made significant steps to improve his game in the final third before opting for senior minutes elsewhere, which highlights his level of patience but also shows that youngsters recognise they often need experience before justifying a first-team claim.

It’s a shame that this particular loan move didn’t work out as planned, but was worth the risk taken and injuries are always a risk so Mavididi will be fully motivated to push on and make up for the time lost this summer. Hopefully he can continue to showcase his impressive ability.

Worth it? Yes