Southend United are set to make a late decision on the future of Arsenal’s James Olayinka, who is currently injured with his loan deal expiring this month.

As things stand, it looks like James Olayinka will spend the next four to six weeks out of action with an ankle injury. His loan spell with Southend United is up, meaning he’s set to return to Arsenal for the remainder of the season.

That could still change. Southend boss Mark Molesley says they’re still assessing the situation, and could decide to bring him in on loan again before Monday’s transfer deadline.

“If we want to do something with James Olayinka it needs to be done within the time restraints of the window,” Molesley said. “James is no stranger to us and we’ve liked what we’ve seen.

“He’s shown he has good attributes but we will assess everything tomorrow (Sunday) in its entirety.”

If Southend decide to go for the move, you wouldn’t imagine there’ll be much opposition from Arsenal or the player himself. It would be good for the 20-year-old to have some security over the rest of his season.

The League Two side were clearly keen on Olayinka while he was fit. He hardly missed a game up until his injury, and all 16 of his appearances were starts. But you can see why it’s a tough call whether it’s worth committing to an extension while he’s out.

Southend United remain rooted to the bottom of the table, three points away from safety despite playing two games more than the clubs they’re chasing.