Multiple League One clubs are looking to sign Jack Henry-Francis on loan, with Mikel Arteta approving a temporary exit for the midfielder.

Football League World report that Oxford United, Plymouth Argyle, and MK Dons are all interested in bringing young Arsenal midfielder Jack Henry-Francis to League One next season.

Mikel Arteta is reportedly ready to green-light a loan exit for the 18-year-old, and the League One trio all have an eye on him.

Henry-Francis has had an unconventional couple of years with the Arsenal academy.

It took the midfielder a while longer than most to earn a professional contract after turning 17, as he was only a fringe player in the u18s at the start of the 2020/21 campaign.

After breaking into the u18 side properly around the start of 2021, Henry-Francis pushed on into the u23s by May, and then appeared for the first team in pre-season last summer – making an impressive debut cameo.

Yet the teenager then found himself back in the u18s for a while, before nailing down an u23 spot in 2022.

So it’s been a year or two of ups and downs, but it ended on a high after 11 starts in the u23s’ last 12 Premier League games.

Now that he’s shown what he can do at u23 level, a lower-league loan would be a good next step.

Henry-Francis is largely a defensively-minded midfielder, showing great tenacity and work rate to win the ball back. His work out of possession is reminiscent of Lucas Torreira from the senior side, but he has a good passing range as well.

The Ireland u19 international perhaps just needs to work on the consistency of his passing to hit that next level. Regular football in a competitive environment could aid that development.