There were more ups and downs for Arsenal’s loanees in midweek, as many of the group had evening fixtures on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Lucas Torreira - 11/09/2021 - Serie A / Atalanta-Fiorentina / Photo by Daniele Buffa
Lucas Torreira – 11/09/2021 – Serie A / Atalanta-Fiorentina / Photo by Daniele Buffa

Thanks to a number of injuries and players struggling to integrate, Arsenal’s current batch of loanees haven’t all played as often as they’d like.

From that point of view, it was a relatively busy midweek for the group this time around.

On Tuesday, Lucas Torreira kicked off the Arsenal loanee midweek with another start, as he holds down his place in the Fiorentina team.

Torreira created one big chance, completed 94% of his passes and five of five long balls, as well as winning four free-kicks in a strong display in possession. Fiorentina beat Sampdoria 3-1, and Torreira got another 90 minutes under his belt.

Jonathan Dinzeyi isn’t finding minutes so easy to come by, and he could only watch from the bench as Carlisle United beat Lincoln City on penalties to reach the second knockout round of the EFL Trophy.

joie - Gerson Santos Da Silva Olympique de Marseille - William Saliba Olympique de Marseille FOOTBALL : Olympique de Marseille vs AS Saint Etienne - Ligue 1 Uber Eats - Marseille - 28/08/2021 NorbertScanella/PanoramiC
Gerson Santos Da Silva Olympique de Marseille – William Saliba Olympique de Marseille FOOTBALL: Olympique de Marseille vs AS Saint Etienne – Ligue 1 Uber Eats – Marseille – 28/08/2021 NorbertScanella / PanoramiC

But on Wednesday, there was some early good news as Runar Alex Runarsson kept his place in the OH Leuven team to make consecutive starts for the first time since joining on loan.

The Arsenal goalkeeper made four saves and conceded two goals in a 3-2 cup win over KVC Westerlo away from home.

Reiss Nelson continues to start matches on the bench for Feyenoord, and he made a late substitute appearance in their 2-1 win over Heracles, playing just 10 minutes.

Harry Clarke was suspended for Ross County’s 0-0 draw away to St. Mirren, following his red card last time out.

Matt Smith played well but was on the losing side with Doncaster Rovers, as they were knocked out of the EFL Trophy. Smith completed 90 minutes in the 2-0 loss.

William Saliba and Matteo Guendouzi both played 90 minutes as well, in a tight 1-0 win away to Nantes.

The game was perhaps closer than it should have been, given Nantes’ first-half red card, but they kept a clean sheet to see out the victory all the same.

Finally, Hector Bellerin played his first domestic game since his red card in a Copa del Rey thrashing of Alicante. The right-back completed 53 minutes, coming off at 4-0 to Real Betis, which is how it ended.

Seven of the nine loanees at least playing some part, and six of them starting, is a pretty good turnout this time around. Let’s hope it’s more of the same this weekend.