It was an eventful week for Arsenal’s loanees, including Nicolas Pepe’s risk-taking, Cedric Soares’ challenges, and a 15 minute appearance that saw Nikolaj Moller score, give away a penalty and pick up two yellows.
- Nicolas Pepe took fitness risk to play for Nice, praised for commitment and mindset
- Nikolaj Moller scored, gave away a penalty, and picked up a red card for Den Bosch
- Cedric Soares still struggling to secure starting position at Fulham after three months
- Tom Smith contributes to Colchester United’s League Two safety
- Ovie Ejeheri finds form in Finnish first tier with SJK Seinajoki
- Charlie Patino assists in Blackpool’s fight to avoid relegation
- Omar Rekik and Wigan Athletic secure a critical win
- Brooke Norton-Cuffy plays in Coventry City’s 2-1 victory
- Marquinhos not in Norwich City matchday squad
- Nathan Butler-Oyedeji features in Accrington Stanley’s game
- Taylor Foran and Mazeed Ogungbo on the bench for Crawley Town
- Tim Akinola’s Chesterfield secure a place in the play-offs
- Arthur Okonkwo’s Sturm Graz lose to Red Bull Salzburg
- Folarin Balogun’s Reims suffer a loss against Strasbourg
- Nuno Tavares misses match due to injury
- Pablo Mari and AC Monza edge closer to Serie A safety and an obligation to buy
Pepe’s fitness risk highlights ‘incredible mindset’ says Nice boss Digard
Arsenal loanee Nicolas Pepe took a fitness risk by playing 47 minutes for OGC Nice against FC Basel on Thursday, after returning from injury.
Unfortunately, Nice were eliminated after losing 2-1, and Pepe was absent again during their weekend match.
Nice boss Didier Digard praised Pepe’s commitment and ‘incredible mindset’ for taking the risk to help the team.
However, L’Equipe reported that Nice will not sign Pepe permanently after his loan spell ends.
Nikolaj Moller’s dramatic game for Den Bosch features goal, penalty, and red card
Arsenal loanee Nikolaj Moller had an eventful substitute appearance for FC Den Bosch on Friday, scoring a goal, conceding a penalty, and receiving a red card.
Moller entered the match with 15 minutes left and scored the winning goal.
However, he later received a yellow card and then another for a handball offence, resulting in a red card.
Den Bosch’s goalkeeper Wouter van der Steen saved the resulting penalty, securing the three points for the team.
Speaking after the game, Moller argued that the penalty was an unfair decision.
“I did everything I could to defend our lead,” Moller said. “My arms were close to my body, and the ball hit me in the back. I was shocked when the referee blew for a penalty.”
Despite the suspension Moller faces, his contribution helped Den Bosch move closer to avoiding relegation.
Cedric Soares remains fringe player at Fulham three months into loan spell
Arsenal right-back Cedric Soares, on loan at Fulham, is still struggling to secure a starting position after nearly three months with the Premier League club.
Cedric has made only two starts – one in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup – and four substitute appearances, totalling less than 20 minutes on the pitch.
Fulham’s recent winning streak without Cedric makes it unlikely they will change their lineup.
Talks of a permanent move to Fulham seem less likely due to his limited involvement, and if he returns to Arsenal, he will have a year left on his contract.
Tom Smith contributes to Colchester United’s League Two safety
Arsenal goalkeeper Tom Smith, on loan at Colchester United, played his fourth consecutive match for the club on Saturday, with his team securing safety in League Two.
Despite his clean sheet streak ending, Smith made crucial saves as Colchester won 4-1 against Sutton United.
Their recent form has seen them go from nine games without a win to three wins and three clean sheets in four games.
Smith’s impressive performances have delighted fans, and strong showings in the final two matches could significantly impact his summer prospects.
Ovie Ejeheri finds form in Finnish first tier with SJK Seinajoki
After a successful loan spell with Chelmsford City, Arsenal goalkeeper Ovie Ejeheri moved from non-league football to the Finnish first division, joining SJK Seinajoki in January.
The 20-year-old has quickly established himself as a starter, keeping two clean sheets in his first three league games.
Ejeheri’s loan deal with SJK Seinajoki lasts until the summer, potentially allowing him to feature in another 10 games before returning to Arsenal to decide on his future.
Other loanees
Charlie Patino played a crucial role in Blackpool’s 1-0 win over Auston Trusty’s Birmingham City, assisting them in their fight to avoid relegation from the Championship. In his 35th appearance of the season, Patino played the full game under caretaker boss Stephen Dobbie. Blackpool is now three points from safety with two games remaining.
Omar Rekik and Wigan Athletic also achieved a critical win, defeating Millwall 2-1 and keeping their chances of staying in the Championship alive. Rekik played 66 minutes in the match, and Wigan is one point above Blackpool in the standings.
Brooke Norton-Cuffy played in Coventry City’s 2-1 victory over Reading, coming on in the 58th minute. This win propelled Coventry City back into the play-off places, and they now on an unbeaten run of eight games.
Marquinhos was not in the Norwich City matchday squad as they lost 3-0 to Swansea City. Norwich is now placed 11th in the table, three points away from the play-offs.
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji played the final 13 minutes of Accrington Stanley’s 1-0 loss to Portsmouth, but their League One survival hopes remain alive as they are just three points from safety with three games left.
Marquinhos was recently urged to embrace the pressure of playing at Norwich.
In League Two, Taylor Foran and Mazeed Ogungbo were on the bench while Crawley Town achieved a significant 2-0 win.
In the National League, Tim Akinola’s Chesterfield lost 2-0 to Bromley, but their place in the play-offs is secured.
Arthur Okonkwo’s Sturm Graz lost 2-0 to Red Bull Salzburg, making it difficult to close the gap at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga.
Folarin Balogun’s Reims lost 2-0 to Strasbourg, hurting their chances of a European campaign.
Nuno Tavares missed Marseille’s match due to injury.
Pablo Mari and AC Monza edge closer to Serie A safety after comeback win over Fiorentina
AC Monza managed to turn around a 2-0 deficit against Fiorentina, proving that their win over Inter Milan the previous week was no fluke.
An own goal and a strike from Dany Mota brought the score to 2-2, with Matteo Pessina’s second-half penalty securing a 3-2 win for Monza. The victory sees them 12th in the Serie A table, 15 points clear of the relegation zone with seven games remaining.
Given the circumstances, it would take an almost impossible set of events for Monza to be relegated. They would need to lose all seven of their remaining games while teams below them would have win theirs to overtake Monza.
As Monza’s Serie A survival becomes increasingly likely, the obligation to buy Pablo Mari under set conditions, including remaining in Serie A, seems to be turning into a formality.